Sample records for high chemotactic ratios

calcium-binding protein (psoriasin, molecular mass 11,457 Da, pI 6.77) belonging to the S1OO family that is highly upregulated in psoriatic keratinocytes and whose expression patterns implied a role in the inflammatory response. Here we report that human psoriasin is a potent and selective chemotactic...... inflammatory protein for CD4+ T lymphocytes and neutrophils at concentrations of about 10(-11) M. Psoriasin is not structurally related to the alpha or the beta chemokine subfamilies or to lymphotactin, a member of a newly described class of chemokines. Thus, we have observed a chemotactic protein outside...

Bone can be adversely affected by obesity and cancer-associated complications including wasting. The objective of this study was to determine whether a high-fat diet and a deficiency in monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) altered bone structural defects found in male C57BL/6 mice with Lewis lung...

Proposed arrangement of two connected planetary differentials results in gear ratio many times that obtainable in conventional series gear assembly of comparable size. Ratios of several thousand would present no special problems. Selection of many different ratios is available with substantially similar gear diameters. Very high gear ratios would be obtained from small mechanism.

Full Text Available During their chemotactic swimming toward eggs, sperm cells detect their species-specific chemoattractant and sense concentration gradients by unknown mechanisms. After sensing the attractant, sperm cells commonly demonstrate a series of responses involving different swimming patterns by changing flagellar beats, gradually approaching a swimming path toward the eggs, which is the source of chemoattractants. Shiba et al. observed a rapid increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in Ciona spermatozoa after sensing chemoattractants; however, the biochemical processes occurring inside the sperm cells are unclear. In the present study, we focused on the timing and sensing mechanism of chemical signal detection in Ciona. One of the most crucial problems to be solved is defining the initial epoch of chemotactic responses. We adopted a high rate of video recording (600 Hz for detailed analysis of sperm motion and a novel method for detecting subtle signs of beat forms and moving paths of sperm heads. From these analyses, we estimated a virtual sensing point of the attractant before initiation of motility responses and found that the time delay from sensing to motility responses was almost constant. To evaluate the efficiency of this constant delay model, we performed computer simulation of chemotactic behaviors of Ciona spermatozoa.

ABSTRACT During their chemotactic swimming toward eggs, sperm cells detect their species-specific chemoattractant and sense concentration gradients by unknown mechanisms. After sensing the attractant, sperm cells commonly demonstrate a series of responses involving different swimming patterns by changing flagellar beats, gradually approaching a swimming path toward the eggs, which is the source of chemoattractants. Shiba et al. observed a rapid increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in Ciona spermatozoa after sensing chemoattractants; however, the biochemical processes occurring inside the sperm cells are unclear. In the present study, we focused on the timing and sensing mechanism of chemical signal detection in Ciona. One of the most crucial problems to be solved is defining the initial epoch of chemotactic responses. We adopted a high rate of video recording (600 Hz) for detailed analysis of sperm motion and a novel method for detecting subtle signs of beat forms and moving paths of sperm heads. From these analyses, we estimated a virtual sensing point of the attractant before initiation of motility responses and found that the time delay from sensing to motility responses was almost constant. To evaluate the efficiency of this constant delay model, we performed computer simulation of chemotactic behaviors of Ciona spermatozoa. PMID:25572419

During their chemotactic swimming toward eggs, sperm cells detect their species-specific chemoattractant and sense concentration gradients by unknown mechanisms. After sensing the attractant, sperm cells commonly demonstrate a series of responses involving different swimming patterns by changing flagellar beats, gradually approaching a swimming path toward the eggs, which is the source of chemoattractants. Shiba et al. observed a rapid increase in intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations in Ciona spermatozoa after sensing chemoattractants; however, the biochemical processes occurring inside the sperm cells are unclear. In the present study, we focused on the timing and sensing mechanism of chemical signal detection in Ciona. One of the most crucial problems to be solved is defining the initial epoch of chemotactic responses. We adopted a high rate of video recording (600 Hz) for detailed analysis of sperm motion and a novel method for detecting subtle signs of beat forms and moving paths of sperm heads. From these analyses, we estimated a virtual sensing point of the attractant before initiation of motility responses and found that the time delay from sensing to motility responses was almost constant. To evaluate the efficiency of this constant delay model, we performed computer simulation of chemotactic behaviors of Ciona spermatozoa.

Full Text Available Experimental results are presented which describe the development and structure of flow downstream of a single row of holes with compound angle orientations producing film cooling at high blowing ratios. This film cooling configuration is important because similar arrangements are frequently employed on the first stage of rotating blades of operating gas turbine engines. With this configuration, holes are spaced 6d apart in the spanwise direction, with inclination angles of 24 degrees, and angles of orientation of 50.5 degrees. Blowing ratios range from 1.5 to 4.0 and the ratio of injectant to freestream density is near 1.0. Results show that spanwise averaged adiabatic effectiveness, spanwise-averaged iso-energetic Stanton number ratios, surveys of streamwise mean velocity, and surveys of injectant distributions change by important amounts as the blowing ratio increases. This is due to injectant lift-off from the test surface just downstream of the holes.

In this fluid mechanics video, we explore the kinematics of chemotaxing sperm cells (sea urchin, \\textit{Arbacia punctulata}) swimming in a chemoattractant gradient. We demonstrate that the complex swimming trajectories resulting in chemotactic behavior (`turn-and-run' motility) are comprised of several distinct flagellar maneuvers. These motility patterns likely play an important role optimizing chemotaxic motility and navigation, when the sperm cells are subjected external fluid flows.

Highlights: • HMGB1 translocated from nucleus to cytoplasm during dental pulp inflammation. • HMGB1and its receptor RAGE were up-regulated in hDPCs under LPS stimulation. • HMGB1 enhanced hDPCs migration and induces cytoskeleton reorganization. • HMGB1 may play a critical role in dental pulp repair during inflamed state. - Abstract: High mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a chromatin protein which can be released extracellularly, eliciting a pro-inflammatory response and promoting tissue repair process. This study aimed to examine the expression and distribution of HMGB1 and its receptor RAGE in inflamed dental pulp tissues, and to assess its effects on proliferation, migration and cytoskeleton of cultured human dental pulp cells (DPCs). Our data demonstrated that cytoplasmic expression of HMGB1 was observed in inflamed pulp tissues, while HMGB1 expression was confined in the nuclei in healthy dental pulp. The mRNA expression of HMGB1 and RAGE were significantly increased in inflamed pulps. In in vitro cultured DPCs, expression of HMGB1 in both protein and mRNA level was up-regulated after treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Exogenous HMGB1 enhanced DPCs migration in a dose-dependent manner and induced the reorganization of f-actin in DPCs. Our results suggests that HMGB1 are not only involved in the process of dental pulp inflammation, but also play an important role in the recruitment of dental pulp stem cells, promoting pulp repair and regeneration.

A family of high aspect ratio nozzles were designed to provide a parametric database of canonical embedded propulsion concepts. Nozzle throat geometries with aspect ratios of 2:1, 4:1, and 8:1 were chosen, all with convergent nozzle areas. The transition from the typical round duct to the rectangular nozzle was designed very carefully to produce a flow at the nozzle exit that was uniform and free from swirl. Once the basic rectangular nozzles were designed, external features common to embedded propulsion systems were added: extended lower lip (a.k.a. bevel, aft deck), differing sidewalls, and chevrons. For the latter detailed Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were made to predict the thrust performance and to optimize parameters such as bevel length, and chevron penetration and azimuthal curvature. Seventeen of these nozzles were fabricated at a scale providing a 2.13 inch diameter equivalent area throat." ! The seventeen nozzles were tested for far-field noise and a few data were presented here on the effect of aspect ratio, bevel length, and chevron count and penetration. The sound field of the 2:1 aspect ratio rectangular jet was very nearly axisymmetric, but the 4:1 and 8:1 were not, the noise on their minor axes being louder than the major axes. Adding bevel length increased the noise of these nozzles, especially on their minor axes, both toward the long and short sides of the beveled nozzle. Chevrons were only added to the 2:1 rectangular jet. Adding 4 chevrons per wide side produced some decrease at aft angles, but increased the high frequency noise at right angles to the jet flow. This trend increased with increasing chevron penetration. Doubling the number of chevrons while maintaining their penetration decreased these effects. Empirical models of the parametric effect of these nozzles were constructed and quantify the trends stated above." Because it is the objective of the Supersonics Project that

The project focused on the development of high aspect ratio silicon heterojunction (HARSH) solar cells. The solar cells developed in this study consisted of high density vertical arrays of radial junction silicon microwires/pillars formed on Si substrates. Prior studies have demonstrated that vertical Si wire/pillar arrays enable reduced reflectivity and improved light trapping characteristics compared to planar solar cells. In addition, the radial junction structure offers the possibility of increased carrier collection in solar cells fabricated using material with short carrier diffusion lengths. However, the high junction and surface area of radial junction Si wire/pillar array devices can be problematic and lead to increased diode leakage and enhanced surface recombination. This study investigated the use of amorphous hydrogenated Si in the form of a heterojunction-intrinsic-thin layer (HIT) structure as a junction formation method for these devices. The HIT layer structure has widely been employed to reduce surface recombination in planar crystalline Si solar cells. Consequently, it was anticipated that it would also provide significant benefits to the performance of radial junction Si wire/pillar array devices. The overall goals of the project were to demonstrate a HARSH cell with a HIT-type structure in the radial junction Si wire/pillar array configuration and to develop potentially low cost pathways to fabricate these devices. Our studies demonstrated that the HIT structure lead to significant improvements in the open circuit voltage (Voc>0.5) of radial junction Si pillar array devices compared to devices fabricated using junctions formed by thermal diffusion or low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD). In addition, our work experimentally demonstrated that the radial junction structure lead to improvements in efficiency compared to comparable planar devices for devices fabricated using heavily doped Si that had reduced carrier diffusion

We present a process for injection molding of 40 nm wide and >100 nm high pillars (pitch: 200 nm). We explored the effects of mold coatings and injection molding conditions on the replication quality of nanostructures in cyclic olefin copolymer. We found that optimization of molding parameters...

The preferential colonization of a distant organ by a circulating tumor cell (organ specific metastasis) may be regulated by chemotactic factors present within the extracellular matrix of the host organ. Organ-specific extracellular matrix was prepared from murine kidney and lung by high salt extraction and DNAase/RNAase digestion. A soluble protein fraction (S2) from each of the matricies was obtained by 4 M guanidine extraction and was tested for organ-specific chemotactic activity in a modified Boyden chamber. The lung colonizing B16-F10 and B16-BL6 tumor cell lines demonstrated organ-specific motility only toward the lung extract. The low metastasizing B16 parental line and liver colonizing B16-L4b line showed no preference for either lung or kidney. The lung activity resolves into five fractions by gel filtration chromatography, with the highest activity eluting at Mr approximately 71,000. Chemotactic factors present in lung extracellular matrix may regulate the preferential colonization of an organ by stimulating the migration of tumor cells in a specific manner. These factors may be released during the degradation of the extracellular matrix.

Vehicle/engine analysis studies have identified the High/Dual Mixture Ratio O2/H2 Engine cycle as a leading candidate for an advanced Single Stage to Orbit (SSTO) propulsion system. This cycle is designed to allow operation at a higher than normal O/F ratio of 12 during liftoff and then transition to a more optimum O/F ratio of 6 at altitude. While operation at high mixture ratios lowers specific impulse, the resultant high propellant bulk density and high power density combine to minimize the influence of atmospheric drag and low altitude gravitational forces. Transition to a lower mixture ratio at altitude then provides improved specific impulse relative to a single mixture ratio engine that must select a mixture ratio that is balanced for both low and high altitude operation. This combination of increased altitude specific impulse and high propellant bulk density more than offsets the compromised low altitude performance and results in an overall mission benefit. Two areas of technical concern relative to the execution of this dual mixture ratio cycle concept are addressed. First, actions required to transition from high to low mixture ratio are examined, including an assessment of the main chamber environment as the main chamber mixture ratio passes through stoichiometric. Secondly, two approaches to meet a requirement for high turbine power at high mixture ratio condition are examined. One approach uses high turbine temperature to produce the power and requires cooled turbines. The other approach incorporates an oxidizer-rich preburner to increase turbine work capability via increased turbine mass flow.

We derive general kinetic and hydrodynamic models of chemotactic aggregation that describe certain features of the morphogenesis of biological colonies (like bacteria, amoebae, endothelial cells or social insects). Starting from a stochastic model defined in terms of N coupled Langevin equations, we derive a nonlinear mean field Fokker-Planck equation governing the evolution of the distribution function of the system in phase space. By taking the successive moments of this kinetic equation and using a local thermodynamic equilibrium condition, we derive a set of hydrodynamic equations involving a damping term. In the limit of small frictions, we obtain a hyperbolic model describing the formation of network patterns (filaments) and in the limit of strong frictions we obtain a parabolic model which is a generalization of the standard Keller-Segel model describing the formation of clusters (clumps). Our approach connects and generalizes several models introduced in the chemotactic literature. We discuss the anal...

In this paper, we present a generic theoretical chemotactic model that accounts for certain emergent behaviors observed in ant foraging. The model does not have many of the constraints and limitations of existing models for ants colony dynamics and takes into account the distinctly different behaviors exhibited in nature by ant foragers in search of food and food ferrying ants. Numerical simulations based on the model show trail formation in foraging ant colonies to be an emergent phenomenon and, in particular, replicate behavior observed in experiments involving the species P. megacephala. The results have broader implications for the study of randomness in chemotactic models. Potential applications include the developments of novel algorithms for stochastic search in engineered complex systems such as robotic swarms.

Herein we report the chemotactic behaviour of self-propelled droplets composed solely of the ionic liquid trihexyl(tetradecyl)phosphonium chloride ([P6,6,6,14][Cl]). These droplets spontaneously move along an aqueous-air boundary in the direction of chloride gradients to specific destinations due to asymmetric release of [P6,6,6,14]+ cationic surfactant from the droplet into the aqueous phase.

SU-8 is the preferred photoresist for development and fabrication of high aspect ratio (HAR) three dimensional patterns. However, processing of SU-8 is a challenging task, especially when the film thickness as well as the aspect ratio is increasing and the size of the features is close to the res...

Full Text Available Chemotactic movement of Escherichia coli is one of the most thoroughly studied paradigms of simple behavior. Due to significant competitive advantage conferred by chemotaxis and to high evolution rates in bacteria, the chemotaxis system is expected to be strongly optimized. Bacteria follow gradients by performing temporal comparisons of chemoeffector concentrations along their runs, a strategy which is most efficient given their size and swimming speed. Concentration differences are detected by a sensory system and transmitted to modulate rotation of flagellar motors, decreasing the probability of a tumble and reorientation if the perceived concentration change during a run is positive. Such regulation of tumble probability is of itself sufficient to explain chemotactic drift of a population up the gradient, and is commonly assumed to be the only navigation mechanism of chemotactic E. coli. Here we use computer simulations to predict existence of an additional mechanism of gradient navigation in E. coli. Based on the experimentally observed dependence of cell tumbling angle on the number of switching motors, we suggest that not only the tumbling probability but also the degree of reorientation during a tumble depend on the swimming direction along the gradient. Although the difference in mean tumbling angles up and down the gradient predicted by our model is small, it results in a dramatic enhancement of the cellular drift velocity along the gradient. We thus demonstrate a new level of optimization in E. coli chemotaxis, which arises from the switching of several flagellar motors and a resulting fine tuning of tumbling angle. Similar strategy is likely to be used by other peritrichously flagellated bacteria, and indicates yet another level of evolutionary development of bacterial chemotaxis.

Nonaqueous-phase liquid (NAPL) contaminants are difficult to eliminate from natural aquifers due, in part, to the heterogeneous structure of the soil. Chemotaxis enhances the mixing of bacteria with contaminant sources in low-permeability regions, which may not be readily accessible by advection and dispersion alone. A microfluidic device was designed to mimic heterogeneous features of a contaminated groundwater aquifer. NAPL droplets (toluene) were trapped within a fine pore network, and bacteria were injected through a highly conductive adjacent macrochannel. Chemotactic bacteria (Pseudomonas putida F1) exhibited greater accumulation near the pore network at 0.5 m/day than both the nonchemotactic control and the chemotactic bacteria at a higher groundwater velocity of 5 m/day. Chemotactic bacteria accumulated in the vicinity of NAPL droplets, and the accumulation was 15% greater than a nonchemotactic mutant. Indirect evidence showed that chemotactic bacteria were retained within the contaminated low-permeability region longer than nonchemotactic bacteria at 0.25 m/day. This retention was diminished at 5 m/day. Numerical solutions of the bacterial-transport equations were consistent with the experimental results. Because toluene is degraded by P. putida F1, the accumulation of chemotactic bacteria around NAPL sources is expected to increase contaminant consumption and improve the efficiency of bioremediation.

A power loss prediction was extended to include involute spur gears of nonstandard proportions. The method is used to analyze the effects of modified addendum, tooth thickness, and gear center distance in addition to the parameters previously considered which included gear diameter, pitch, pressure angle, face width, oil viscosity, speed, and torque. Particular emphasis was placed on high contact ratio gearing (contact ratios greater than two). Despite their higher sliding velocities, high contact ratio gears are designed to levels of efficiency comparable to those of conventional gears while retaining their advantages through proper selection of gear geometry.

We construct a semi-analytical model describing the scattering, extinction and absorption properties of a high aspect-ratio trench in a metallic film. We find that these trenches act as highly efficient scatterers of free waves. In the perfect conductor limit, which for many metals is approached...

Chemotaxis is the process by which cells behave in a way that follows the chemical gradient. Applications to bacteria growth, tissue inflammation, and vascular tumors provide a focus on optimization strategies. Experiments can characterize the form of possible chemotactic sensitivities. This paper addresses the recovery of the chemotactic sensitivity from these experiments while allowing for nonlinear dependence of the parameter on the state variables. The existence of solutions to the forward problem is analyzed. The identification of a chemotactic parameter is determined by inverse problem techniques. Tikhonov regularization is investigated and appropriate convergence results are obtained. Numerical results of concentration dependent chemotactic terms are explored.

The WENO method, RKDG method, RKDG method with original ghost fluid method, and RKDG method with modified ghost fluid method are applied to single-medium and two-medium air-air, air-liquid compressible flows with high density and pressure ratios. We also provide a numerical comparison and analysis for the above methods. Numerical results show that, compared with the other methods, the RKDG method with modified ghost fluid method can obtain high resolution results and the correct position of the shock, and the computed solutions are converged to the physical solutions as the mesh is refined.

Star forming galaxies at high redshift show ubiquitously high ionization parameters, as measured by the ratio of optical emission lines. We demonstrate that local (z < 0.2) sources selected as Lyman break analogues also manifest high line ratios with a typical [O III]/H beta = 3.36(+0.14,-0.04) - comparable to all but the highest ratios seen in star forming galaxies at z ~ 2-4. We argue that the stellar population synthesis code BPASS can explain the high ionization parameters required through the ageing of rapidly formed star populations, without invoking any AGN contribution. Binary stellar evolution pathways prolong the age interval over which a starburst is likely to show elevated line ratios, relative to those predicted by single stellar evolution codes. As a result, model galaxies at near-Solar metallicities and with ages of up to ~100 Myr after a starburst typically have a line ratio [O III]/H beta~3, consistent with those seen in Lyman break galaxies and local sources with similar star formation de...

In recent years,overseas observers have reached a consensus upon attributing China’s sustained rapid economic growth primarily to high investment.This consensus opinion has also struck a resonant chord among a large number of domestic researchers who acknowledge the tremendous contribution of continued high fixed asset investment to China’s economic growth,and often wonder whether"the investment ratio is too high"and"the economy is overheating".In this article,renowned economist Zhang Hanya elaborates upon the real economic meaning of"investment ratio",and sets out reasonable criteria for the"investment/consumption ratio".His explanations help us to clarify our understanding and judgments regarding the related issues.

T cell homing to peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs) is defined by a multistep sequence of interactions between lymphocytes and endothelial cells in high endothelial venules (HEVs). After initial tethering and rolling via L-selectin, firm adhesion of T cells requires rapid upregulation of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) adhesiveness by a previously unknown pathway that activates a Galpha(i)-linked receptor. Here, we used intravital microscopy of murine PLNs to study the role of thymus-derived chemotactic agent (TCA)-4 (secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine, 6Ckine, Exodus-2) in homing of adoptively transferred T cells from T-GFP mice, a transgenic strain that expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP) selectively in naive T lymphocytes (T(GFP) cells). TCA-4 was constitutively presented on the luminal surface of HEVs, where it was required for LFA-1 activation on rolling T(GFP) cells. Desensitization of the TCA-4 receptor, CC chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7), blocked T(GFP) cell adherence in wild-type HEVs, whereas desensitization to stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1alpha (the ligand for CXC chemokine receptor 4 [CXCR4]) did not affect T(GFP) cell behavior. TCA-4 protein was not detected on the luminal surface of PLN HEVs in plt/plt mice, which have a congenital defect in T cell homing to PLNs. Accordingly, T(GFP) cells rolled but did not arrest in plt/plt HEVs. When TCA-4 was injected intracutaneously into plt/plt mice, the chemokine entered afferent lymph vessels and accumulated in draining PLNs. 2 h after intracutaneous injection, luminal presentation of TCA-4 was detectable in a subset of HEVs, and LFA-1-mediated T(GFP) cell adhesion was restored in these vessels. We conclude that TCA-4 is both required and sufficient for LFA-1 activation on rolling T cells in PLN HEVs. This study also highlights a hitherto undocumented role for chemokines contained in afferent lymph, which may modulate leukocyte recruitment in draining PLNs.

This paper describes a fixed-fixed beam ohmic switch in series with a fixed capacitor as a replacement for a capacitive switch. In this switch, a metal plate deposited on the dielectric ensures perfectly contact with the dielectric layer in the down state. The area size of the metal plate directly influences the capacitance ratio of the switch, as the area size of the metal cap decreases, the capacitance ratio dramatically rises up. The down/up capacitance ratio can exceed 800 times over the conventional designs using the same materials and the equal size. Measurement results show that high capacitance ratio of the switches has a large effect on the isolation, and can actually improve the performance of the switches.

Recent data from the LHC makes it possible to examine an old speculation that at very high energy the total multiplicity and the cross section in elementary particle interactions vary in parallel with energy. Using fits incorporating the new data, it appears that the ratios of the total, elastic, and inelastic cross sections to the average multiplicity N can in fact approach constants at very high energy. The approach to the limit is however quite slow for the total and inelastic cross sections and is not yet reached at LHC energies. The elastic ratio σ{sup el}/N at 7 TeV, however, is not far from its asymptotic value.

Incubation of cocultures of human aortic endothelial (HAEC) and smooth muscle cells (HASMC) with LDL in the presence of 5-10% human serum resulted in a 7.2-fold induction of mRNA for monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), a 2.5-fold increase in the levels of MCP-1 protein in the coculture supernatants, and a 7.1-fold increase in the transmigration of monocytes into the subendothelial space of the cocultures. Monocyte migration was inhibited by 91% by antibody to MCP-1. Media collected from t...

This paper presents a new fabrication technique to achieve ultra high-aspect ratio artificial cilia micro-patterned from flexible highly magnetic rare earth nanoparticle-doped polymers. We have developed a simple, inexpensive and scalable fabrication method to create cilia structures that can be actuated by miniature electromagnets, that are suitable to be used for lab-on-a chip (LOC) and micro-total-analysis-system (μ-TAS) applications such as mixers and flow-control elements. The magnetic cilia are fabricated and magnetically polarized directly in microfluidic channels or reaction chambers, allowing for easy integration with complex microfluidic systems. These cilia structures can be combined on a single chip with other microfluidic components employing the same permanently magnetic nano-composite polymer (MNCP), such as valves or pumps. Rare earth permanent magnetic powder, (Nd0.7Ce0.3)10.5Fe83.9B5.6, is used to dope polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), resulting in a highly flexible M-NCP of much higher magnetization and remanence [1] than ferromagnetic polymers typically employed in magnetic microfluidics. Sacrificial poly(ethylene-glycol) (PEG) is used to mold the highly magnetic polymer into ultra high-aspect ratio artificial cilia. Cilia structures with aspect ratio exceeding 8:0.13 can be easily fabricated using this technique and are actuated using miniature electromagnets to achieve a high range of motion/vibration.

A comparative study of eosinophil chemotactic factors was carried out using cysticercoids and oncospheres of Hymenolepis nana. Cysticercoids showed twice the chemotactic activity for eosinophils than the oncospheres. Eosinophilia induced by oncospheres and cysticercoids observed in secondary and primary infections, respectively, were discussed from the view point of the immunobiology of this parasite.

The chemotactic movement of decanol droplets in aqueous solutions of sodium decanoate in response to concentration gradients of NaCl has been investigated. Key parameters of the chemotactic response, namely the induction time and the migration velocity, have been evaluated as a function of the so...

The time-averaged flow field in the center-span of low-aspect-ratio rectangular wings is experimentally measured. It is shown that lift stall is preceded by shedding of strong trailing-edge vorticity. The induced downwash of the tip vortices delays the growth of the attached boundary layer as well as leading-edge separation. Reattached flow occurs for sufficiently low aspect ratios and results in a smooth merging of the flow at the trailing edge thus assisting in satisfying a Kutta condition there. As a consequence, the strength of vorticity shed from the trailing edge is decreased and allows for continued lift generation at high angles of attack. When the reattachment point passes beyond the trailing edge, a strong shear layer is generated there and represents negative lift, leading to stall with a slight increase in angle of attack or aspect ratio.

Coils are used in many electronic devices as inductors in mobile units such as mobile phone, digital cameras, etc. Inductance and quality factor of coils are very important value of the performance. Therefore, the requests for coils are small size, high inductance, low power consumption, etc. However, coils are unsuitable for miniaturization because of its structure. Therefore, we have proposed and developed the microcoils of high aspect ratio with the dipping method and an X-ray lithography technique. In dipping method, centrifugal force and highly viscous photoresist solution were key points to evenly apply resist in the form of thick film on metal bar. The film thickness of resist on bar was achieved about 50 μm after single coating. Using these techniques, we succeeded in creating threaded groove structure with 10 μm lines and spaces on 1 mm brass bar. In this case, the aspect ratio was achieved five. It is very expected the high performance microcoil with high aspect ratio lines could be manufactured in spite of the miniature size.

Free vibration and flutter analyses of two types of high aspect ratio aircraft wings are presented. The wing is idealised as an assembly of bending-torsion coupled beams using the dynamic stiffness method leading to a nonlinear eigenvalue problem. This problem is solved using the Wattrick-Williams algorithm yielding natural frequencies and mode shapes. The flutter analysis is carried out using the normal mode method in conjunction with generalised coordinates and two-dimensional unsteady aero...

High-performance ultrathin polarizers have been experimentally demonstrated employing stacked complementary (SC) metasurfaces, which were produced using nanoimprint lithography. It is experimentally determined that the metasurface polarizers composed of Ag and Au have large extinction ratios exceeding 17000 and 12000, respectively, in spite of the subwavelength thickness. It is also shown that the ultrathin polarizers of the SC structures are optimized at telecommunication wavelengths.

The experimental investigation of an aspirated fan stage designed to achieve a pressure ratio of 3.4:1 at 1500 ft/sec is presented in this paper. The low-energy viscous flow is aspirated from diffusion-limiting locations on the blades and flowpath surfaces of the stage, enabling a very high pressure ratio to be achieved in a single stage. The fan stage performance was mapped at various operating speeds from choke to stall in a compressor facility at fully simulated engine conditions. The experimentally determined stage performance, in terms of pressure ratio and corresponding inlet mass flow rate, was found to be in good agreement with the three-dimensional viscous computational prediction, and in turn close to the design intent. Stage pressure ratios exceeding 3:1 were achieved at design speed, with an aspiration flow fraction of 3.5 percent of the stage inlet mass flow. The experimental performance of the stage at various operating conditions, including detailed flowfield measurements, are presented and discussed in the context of the computational analyses. The sensitivity of the stage performance and operability to reduced aspiration flow rates at design and off design conditions are also discussed.

The performance of complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs) fabricated on silicon has improved dramatically. The scaling down of silicon transistors has increased the maximum frequency of transistors to the point where silicon MMICs have become a viable alternative to compound semiconductor MMICs in certain applications. A fundamental problem still exists in silicon MMICs however in that transmission lines fabricated on silicon can suffer from high loss due to the finite conductivity of the silicon substrate. A novel approach for creating low-loss transmission lines on silicon is presented in this work. Low-loss transmission lines are created on low resistivity silicon by using a micromachining method that combines silicon deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), thermal oxidation, electroplating, and planarization. Two types of high aspect ratio transmission lines are created with this method including high aspect ratio coplanar waveguide (hicoplanar) and semi-rectangular coaxial (semicoaxial). Transmission lines with impedances ranging from 20--80 O have been fabricated with minimum measured loss lower than 1 dB/cm at 67 GHz. Low-loss dielectrics are created for the high aspect ratio transmission lines using the mesa merging method. The mesa merging method works by creating silicon mesa arrays using DRIE and then converting and merging the mesa arrays into a solid oxide dielectric using thermal oxidation. The transmission lines are designed so that the fields penetrate the low-loss oxide dielectric and are isolated from the lossy silicon substrate. The mesa merging method has successfully created large volume oxide with depth up to 65 microm and width up to 240 microm in short oxidation times. Other advantages of the high aspect ratio transmission lines are demonstrated including low-loss over a wide impedance range, high isolation, and high coupling for coupled-line circuits. Transmission line models have been

Microvascularization of an engineered tissue construct is necessary to ensure the nourishment and viability of the hosted cells. Microvascular constructs can be created by seeding the luminal surfaces of microfluidic channel arrays with endothelial cells. However, in a conventional flow-based system, the uniformity of endothelialization of such an engineered microvascular network is constrained by mass transfer of the cells through high length-to-diameter (L/D) aspect ratio microchannels. Moreover, given the inherent limitations of the initial seeding process to generate a uniform cell coating, the large surface-area-to-volume ratio of microfluidic systems demands long culture periods for the formation of confluent cellular microconduits. In this report, we describe the design of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) microvascular constructs with reentrant microchannels that facilitates rapid, spatially homogeneous endothelial cell seeding of a high L/D (2 cm/35 μm; > 550:1) aspect ratio microchannels. MEMS technology was employed for the fabrication of a monolithic, elastomeric, reentrant microvascular construct. Isotropic etching and PDMS micromolding yielded a near-cylindrical microvascular channel array. A 'stretch - seed - seal' operation was implemented for uniform incorporation of endothelial cells along the entire microvascular area of the construct yielding endothelialized microvascular networks in less than 24 h. The feasibility of this endothelialization strategy and the uniformity of cellularization were established using confocal microscope imaging.

We have developed a micromachining process to produce high-aspect-ratio channels and holes in glass and porous silicon. Our process utilizes MeV proton beam irradiation of silicon using direct writing with a focused beam, followed by electrochemical etching. To increase throughput we have also developed another process for large area ion irradiation based on a radiation-resistant gold surface mask, allowing many square inches to be patterned. We present a study of the achievable channel width, depth and period and sidewall verticality for a range of channels which can be over 100 μm deep or 100 nm wide with aspect ratios up to 80. This process overcomes the difficulty of machining glass on a micro- and nanometer scale which has limited many areas of applications in different fields such as microelectronics and microfluidics.

We have developed a micromachining process to produce high-aspect-ratio channels and holes in glass and porous silicon. Our process utilizes MeV proton beam irradiation of silicon using direct writing with a focused beam, followed by electrochemical etching. To increase throughput we have also developed another process for large area ion irradiation based on a radiation-resistant gold surface mask, allowing many square inches to be patterned. We present a study of the achievable channel width, depth and period and sidewall verticality for a range of channels which can be over 100 μm deep or 100 nm wide with aspect ratios up to 80. This process overcomes the difficulty of machining glass on a micro- and nanometer scale which has limited many areas of applications in different fields such as microelectronics and microfluidics.

The Small, High-Pressure-Ratio Compressor Program was directed toward the analysis, design, and fabrication of a centrifugal compressor providing a 6:1 pressure ratio and an airflow rate of 2.0 pounds per second. The program consists of preliminary design, detailed areodynamic design, mechanical design, and mechanical acceptance tests. The preliminary design evaluate radial- and backward-curved blades, tandem bladed impellers, impeller-and diffuser-passage boundary-layer control, and vane, pipe, and multiple-stage diffusers. Based on this evaluation, a configuration was selected for detailed aerodynamic and mechanical design. Mechanical acceptance test was performed to demonstrate that mechanical design objectives of the research package were met.

Nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) contaminants are difficult to eliminate from natural aquifers due, in part, to the heterogeneous structure of the soil matrix. Residual NAPL ganglia remain trapped in regions where the hydraulic conductivity is relatively low. Bioremediation processes depend on adequate mixing of microbial populations and the groundwater contaminants that they degrade. The ability of bacteria to sense a chemical gradient and swim preferentially toward locations of higher concentration, known as chemotaxis, can enhance the mixing of bacteria with contaminant sources that may not be readily accessible by advection and dispersion alone. The impact of chemotaxis on bacterial abundance within a low conductivity NAPL-contaminated region of a well-characterized porous matrix was investigated. A microfluidic device was designed to mimic heterogeneous features of a contaminated groundwater system. NAPL ganglia (toluene) were trapped within a fine pore network, and bacteria were injected into the system through a highly conductive adjacent channel. Chemotactic bacteria (P. putida F1) migrated preferentially towards and accumulated in the vicinity of NAPL contaminant sources. The accumulation of chemotactic bacteria was 15% greater in comparison to a nonchemotactic mutant (P. putida F1 CheA). Bacteria in the microfluidic device were subjected to different flow velocities from 0.25 to 5 m/d encompassing the range of typical groundwater flow rates. Chemotactic bacteria exhibited greater accumulation near the intersection between the macrochannel and the porous network at a flow velocity of 0.5 m/d than both the nonchemotactic mutant control and the chemotactic bacteria at a higher flow velocity of 5 m/d. Breakthrough curves observed at the outlet provided indirect evidence that chemotactic bacteria were retained within the contaminated low permeable region for a longer time than the nonchemotactic bacteria at a flow velocity of 0.25 m/d. This retention was

Proton beam writing (PBW) is a new direct write lithography using MeV protons, and is unique because of its ability to fabricate 3D structures of high aspect ratio structures directly in resist material like PMMA, SU-8 and HSQ. The introduction by CIBA, Singapore of a dedicated PBW facility, capable of writing at the micro- and nano- scale has facilitated high aspect ratio nanostructuring. PBW has demontrated high aspect ratio walls in HSQ down to the 20nm level. In recent experiments details down to sub 20 nm have been achieved in PMMA. Monte-Carlo calculations have shown that structuring down to the nanometer level is feasible. All this is possible because of the virtual absence of proximity effects (unwanted resist exposure by stray secondary electrons). The design and performance of this unique nanoprobe facility will be discussed. Two potential fields of application (eg nanofluidics and nanowire integration) of PBW will be discussed. Currently nanofluidics devices have typically only one critical dimension below 100 nm. Here we will introduce PBW as a powerful technique to fabricate molds for replication of PDMS nanofluidic circuits down to the sub 100 nm level in two dimensions. Initial chips with dimension down to 150 nm have successfully been used to study DNA folding in quasi-1d nanochannels in tandem with fluorescence imaging. Since the size of these PDMS nanochannels is not limited by the PDMS or PBW further miniaturization down to the sub 100 nm level is a realistic goal and initial results will be discussed. Nanowires are a potential building block for nano-electronic devices, and one critical problem is the integration of nanowires to form contacts. Porous alumina templates and high energy ion-tracks have been used for the production of nanowire templates in a random orientation. Since PBW is the only true 3D direct write nanolithographic technique it can be used to fabricate nanowire templates in a controlled manner.

High aspect ratio graphene nanosheets (GNS), prepared via liquid exfoliation, are homogeneously dispersed in thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Dielectric spectroscopy results are reported for these nanocomposites (up to 0.55 vol. % GNS) in the frequency range of 100 Hz to 5 MHz. The as-prepared GNS increased the AC conductivity 10-1000 times across the given frequency range. The dielectric constant is increased 5-6 times at 100 Hz for the maximum loading of GNS when compared with the pristine TPU, with subsequently high dielectric loss making them a suitable candidate for high energy dissipation applications such as EMI shielding. The temperature effects on the dielectric characteristics of 0.55 vol. % GNS/TPU nanocomposites beyond 400 K are more pronounced due to the interfacial and orientation polarization. Mechanical characteristics evaluation of GNS/TPU composites shows a marked increase in the ultimate tensile strength without compromising their ductility and stiffness. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

We investigate the dynamics of high aspect ratio nanowires trapped axially in a single gradient force optical tweezers. A power spectrum analysis of the Brownian dynamics reveals a broad spectral resonance of the order of a kHz with peak properties that are strongly dependent on the input trapping power. Modelling of the dynamical equations of motion of the trapped nanowire that incorporate non-conservative effects through asymmetric coupling between translational and rotational degrees of freedom provides excellent agreement with the experimental observations. An associated observation of persistent cyclical motion around the equilibrium trapping position using winding analysis provides further evidence for the influence of non-conservative forces.

Exploring deep neural circuits has triggered the development of long penetrating neural probes. Moreover, driven by brain displacement, the long neural probes require also a high aspect-ratio shafts design. In this paper, a simple and reproducible method of manufacturing long-shafts neural probes using blade dicing technology is presented. Results shows shafts up to 8 mm long and 200 µm wide, features competitive to the current state-of-art, being its outline simply accomplished by a single blade dicing program. Therefore, conventional blade dicing presents itself as a viable option to manufacture long neural probes.

Center-tap push-pull transformer with toroidal core helically wound with a single coaxial cable creates a high frequency wideband transformer. This transformer has a high-turn ratio, a high coupling coefficient, and a flat broadband response.

The present research investigates the details of mixture preparation and combustion in a two-stroke, small-scale research engine with a numerical methodology based on large eddy simulation (LES) technique. A major motivation to study such small-scale engines is their potential use in applications requiring portable power sources with high power density. The investigated research engine has a rectangular planform with a thickness very close to quenching limits of typical hydrocarbon fuels. As such, the combustor has a high aspect ratio (defined as the ratio of surface area to volume) that makes it different than the conventional engines which typically have small aspect ratios to avoid intense heat losses from the combustor in the bulk flame propagation period. In most other aspects, this engine involves all the main characteristics of traditional reciprocating engines. A previous experimental work has identified some major design problems and demonstrated the feasibility of cyclic combustion in the high aspect ratio combustor. Because of the difficulty of carrying out experimental studies in such small devices, resolving all flow structures and completely characterizing the flame propagation have been an enormously challenging task. The numerical methodology developed in this work attempts to complement these previous studies by providing a complete evolution of flow variables. Results of the present study demonstrated strengths of the proposed methodology in revealing physical processes occuring in a typical operation of the high aspect ratio combustor. For example, in the scavenging phase, the dominant flow structure is a tumble vortex that forms due to the high velocity reactant jet (premixed) interacting with the walls of the combustor. Since the scavenging phase is a long process (about three quarters of the whole cycle), the impact of the vortex is substantial on mixture preparation for the next combustion phase. LES gives the complete evolution of this flow

A high-extinction-ratio bandgap of air-bridge photonic crystal slab, in the near infrared, is reported. These structures were patterned in single-crystalline LiNbO3 film bonded to SiO2/LiNbO3 substrate by focused ion beam. To improve the vertical confinement of light, the SiO2 layer was removed by 3.6% HF acid. Compared with photonic crystals sandwiched between SiO2 and air, the structures suspending in air own a robust photonic bandgap and high transmission efficiency at valence band region. The measured results are in good agreement with numerically computed transmission spectra by finite-difference time-domain method. The air-bridge photonic crystal waveguides were formed by removing one line holes. We reveal experimentally the guiding characteristics and calculate the theoretical results for photonic crystal waveguides in LiNbO3 film.

A new 1 W, 4.2 K cryocooler is under development that is intended to miniaturize helium temperature refrigeration systems using a high-pressure-ratio Collins-type cycle. The configuration resulted from optimization studies of a saturated vapor compression (SCV) cycle that employs miniature parallel-plate heat exchangers. The basic configuration is a long displacer in a close-fitting, thin-walled cylinder. The displacer-to-cylinder gap is the high-pressure passage of the heat exchanger, and the low-pressure passage is formed by a thin tube over the OD of the cylinder. A solenoid-operated inlet valve admits 40 atm helium to the displacer-to-cylinder gap at room temperature, while the solenoid-operated exhaust valve operates at 4 atm. The single-stage cryocooler produces 1 W of refrigeration at 40 K without precooling and at 20 K with liquid nitrogen precooling.

This paper covers far-field acoustic measurements of a family of rectangular nozzles with aspect ratio 8, in the high subsonic flow regime. Several variations of nozzle geometry, commonly found in embedded exhaust systems, are explored, including bevels, slants, single broad chevrons and notches, and internal septae. Far-field acoustic results, presented previously for the simple rectangular nozzle, showed that increasing aspect ratio increases the high frequency noise, especially directed in the plane containing the minor axis of the nozzle. Detailed changes to the nozzle geometry generally made little difference in the noise, and the differences were greatest at low speed. Having an extended lip on one broad side (bevel) did produce up to 3 decibels more noise in all directions, while extending the lip on the narrow side (slant) produced up to 2 decibels more noise, primarily on the side with the extension. Adding a single, non-intrusive chevron, made no significant change to the noise, while inverting the chevron (notch) produced up to 2decibels increase in the noise. Having internal walls (septae) within the nozzle, such as would be required for structural support or when multiple fan ducts are aggregated, reduced the noise of the rectangular jet, but could produce a highly directional shedding tone from the septae trailing edges. Finally, a nozzle with both septae and a beveled nozzle, representative of the exhaust system envisioned for a distributed electric propulsion aircraft with a common rectangular duct, produced almost as much noise as the beveled nozzle, with the septae not contributing much reduction in noise.

Full Text Available We have recently described the purification of a 54 kDa acidic protein, identified as macrophage-derived neutrophil chemotactic factor (MNCF. This protein causes in vitro chemotaxis as well as in vivo neutrophil migration even in animals treated with dexamethasone. This in vivo chemotactic activity of MNCF in animals pretreated with dexamethasone is an uncommon characteristic which discriminates MNCF from known chemotactic cytokines. MNCF is released in the supernatant by macrophage monolayers stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS. In the present study, we describe some biological characteristics of homogenous purified MNCF. When assayed in vitro, MNCF gave a bell-shaped dose–response curve. This in vitro activity was shown to be caused by haptotaxis. Unlike N-formyl-methionylleucyl- phenylalanine (FMLP or interleukin 8 (IL-8, the chemotactic activity of MNCF in vivo and in vitro, was inhibited by preincubation with D-galactose but not with D-mannose. In contrast with IL-8, MNCF did not bind to heparin and antiserum against IL-8 was ineffective in inhibiting its chemotactic activity. These data indicate that MNCF induces neutrophil migration through a carbohydrate recognition property, but by a mechanism different from that of the known chemokines. It is suggested that MNCF may be an important mediator in the recruitment of neutrophils via the formation of a substrate bound chemotactic gradient (haptotaxis in the inflamed tissues.

Dielectric wakefield (DWA) accelerator concepts are receiving attention on account of their promising performance, mechanical simplicity, and anticipated low cost. Interest in DWA physics directed toward an advanced high-gradient accelerator has been enhanced by a finding that some dielectrics can withstand very high fields (>1 GV/m) for the short times during the passage of charged bunches along dielectric-lined channels. In a two-channel structure, a drive bunch train propagates in a first channel, and in the second adjacent channel where a high gradient wakefield develops, a witness bunch is accelerated. Compared with single-channel DWA's, a two-beam accelerator delivers a high transformer ratio, and thereby reduces the number of drive beam sections needed to achieve a given final test beam energy. An overview of multi-channel DWA structures will be given, with an emphasis on two-channel structures, presenting their advantages and drawbacks, and potential impact on the field. Studies aimed to examine charging rate and charge distribution in a thin walled dielectric wakefield accelerator from a passing charge bunch and the physics of conductivity and discharge phenomena in dielectric materials useful for such accelerator applications are presented in a separate paper in the EAAC-2015 conference proceedings.

Dielectric wakefield (DWA) accelerator concepts are receiving attention on account of their promising performance, mechanical simplicity, and anticipated low cost. Interest in DWA physics directed toward an advanced high-gradient accelerator has been enhanced by a finding that some dielectrics can withstand very high fields (>1 GV/m) for the short times during the passage of charged bunches along dielectric-lined channels. In a two-channel structure, a drive bunch train propagates in a first channel, and in the second adjacent channel where a high gradient wakefield develops, a witness bunch is accelerated. Compared with single-channel DWA's, a two-beam accelerator delivers a high transformer ratio, and thereby reduces the number of drive beam sections needed to achieve a given final test beam energy. An overview of multi-channel DWA structures will be given, with an emphasis on two-channel structures, presenting their advantages and drawbacks, and potential impact on the field. Studies aimed to examine charging rate and charge distribution in a thin walled dielectric wakefield accelerator from a passing charge bunch and the physics of conductivity and discharge phenomena in dielectric materials useful for such accelerator applications are presented in a separate paper in the EAAC-2015 conference proceedings.

In recent years experiments have shown that optical waves in waveguides can be modulated by mechanical stresses from surface acoustic waves (SAW), which have most of their energy density concentrated at the surface. In these experiments the SAWs are generated in piezoelectric materials...... by conventional interdigital transducers consisting of thin electrodes deposited at the surface. In this work the finite element method is employed to investigate if the acousto-optical interaction can be enhanced by generating the SAWs by interdigital transducers consisting of high aspect ratio electrodes....... With a periodic model it is first shown that these tall electrodes introduce several new confined SAW modes with slow phase velocities because of mechanical energy storage in the electrodes. The periodic model is then extended to a finite model by using perfectly matched layers at the substrate borders...

Full Text Available This paper describes the dynamic behaviour of helical gears with new standpoint for calculation of influence variables: mesh teeth stiffness, contact lines lengths and load distribution during mesh period. Nonlinear contact Finite Element Analysis and the new iteration procedure are used for calculation of meshed teeth deformations, stiffness and contact loads. The normal load distribution calculated with this procedure is used for evaluation of nonlinear dynamic analytical model of helical gears motion. Described investigation is especially important for gear pairs with high value of transmission ratio, often used in large transport machines. The presented models and results can be used for helical gears modeling when standard procedures don’t cover the requirements.

Polyimide has been identified as a useful material for microelectronic packaging because of its low dielectric constant and high temperature stability. Difficulties involved with reactive ion etching (RIE), a conventional technique for patterning thick polyimide films (thickness greater than 5 microns) with vertical walls, can be overcome by using photimageable polyimide precursors. The processing steps are similar to those used with negative photoresists. EM Chemical's HTR-3 photosensitive polyimide has been spun on up to a thickness of 12 microns. Exposure with a dose of 780 mJcm-2 of ultraviolet light, followed by spin development produces clean patterns as small as 5 microns corresponding to an aspect ratio of 2.4. When the patterned precursor is heated, an imidization reaction occurs converting the patterned film to polyimide. Baking to ca. 400 degrees C results in substantial loss in the thickness and in line width. However, shrinkage occurs reproducibly so useful rules for mask design can be formulated. Near vertical wall structures can be fabricated by taking advantage of the optical and shrinkage properties of the polyimide precursor. After development, an undercut wall profile can be produced since the bottom of the film receives less exposure and is hence more soluble in the developer. During heating, lateral shrinkage pulls the top of the film inward producing a vertical wall since the bottom is fixed to the substrate by adhesion. As a result, fully cured polyimide structures with straight walls and aspect ratios greater than one can be obtained. Dielectric properties of the fully imidized films were investigated with capacitor test structures. A relative dielectric constant of 3.3 and a loss tangent of .002 were measured at 20 kHz. It was also found that the dielectric constant increases as a linear function of relative humidity.

A high pressure ratio DC compressor is a critical component for many cryocooler cycles. Prior research has focused on the adaptation of commercial compressor technology (scroll, screw, linear with rectification valves, and regenerative) for use in cryogenic applications where long-life and oil-free (i.e., volatile contamination free) are unique requirements. In addition, many cryocooler applications are for cooling imaging instruments making low vibration an additional requirement. Another candidate compressor technology has emerged from the fuel cell industry. Proton Exchange Membranes (PEMs) are used in fuel cells to separate reactants and transport protons, and these capabilities may be used in cryocoolers to compress hydrogen from low to high pressure. A particular type of PEM utilizing an anhydrous membrane forms the basis of a solid-state cryocooler. Creare has been investigating the use of PEM compressors for low temperature Joule-Thomson and dilution cryocoolers. These cryocoolers have no moving parts, can operate at temperatures down to nominally 23 K, produce no vibration, and are low cost. Our work on the cycle optimization, cryocooler design, and development and demonstration of the compressor technology is the subject of this paper.

Novel single crystalline high-performance temperature sensing materials (quantum well structures) have been developed for the manufacturing of uncooled infrared bolometers. SiGe/Si and AlGaAs/GaAs quantum wells are grown epitaxially on standard Si and GaAs substrates respectively. The former use holes as charge carriers utilizing the discontinuities in the valence band structure, whereas the latter operate in a similar manner with electrons in the conduction band. By optimizing parameters such as the barrier height (by variation of the germanium/aluminium content respectively) and the fermi level E f (by variation of the quantum well width and doping level) these materials provide the potential to engineer layer structures with a very high temperature coefficient of resistance, TCR, as compared with conventional thin film materials such as vanadium oxide and amorphous silicon. In addition, the high quality crystalline material promises very low 1/f-noise characteristics promoting an outstanding signal to noise ratio and well defined and uniform material properties, A comparison between the two (SiGe/Si and AlGaAs/GaAs) quantum well structures and their fundamental theoretical limits are discussed and compared to experimental results. A TCR of 2.0%/K and 4.5%/K have been obtained experimentally for SiGe/Si and AlGaAs/GaAs respectively. The noise level for both materials is measured as being several orders of magnitude lower than that of a-Si and VOx. These uncooled thermistor materials can be hybridized with read out circuits by using conventional flip-chip assembly or wafer level adhesion bonding. The increased bolometer performance so obtained can either be exploited for increasing the imaging system performance, i. e. obtaining a low NETD, or to reduce the vacuum packaging requirements for low cost applications (e.g. automotive).

We examine the effect of varying roughness-element aspect ratio on the mean velocity distributions of turbulent flow over arrays of rectangular-prism-shaped elements. Large-eddy simulations (LES) in conjunction with a sharp-interface immersed boundary method are used to simulate spatially-growing turbulent boundary layers over these rough surfaces. Arrays of aligned and staggered rectangular roughness elements with aspect ratio >1 are considered. First the temporally- and spatially-averaged velocity profiles are used to illustrate the aspect-ratio effects. For aligned prisms, the roughness length (z_o) and the friction velocity (u_*) increase initially with an increase in the roughness-element aspect ratio, until the values reach a plateau at a particular aspect ratio. The exact value of this aspect ratio depends on the coverage density. Further increase in the aspect ratio changes neither z_o, u_* nor the bulk flow above the roughness elements. For the staggered cases, z_o and u_* continue to increase for the surface coverage density and the aspect ratios investigated. To model the flow response to variations in roughness aspect ratio, we turn to a previously developed phenomenological volumetric sheltering model (Yang et al., in J Fluid Mech 789:127-165, 2016), which was intended for low to moderate aspect-ratio roughness elements. Here, we extend this model to account for high aspect-ratio roughness elements. We find that for aligned cases, the model predicts strong mutual sheltering among the roughness elements, while the effect is much weaker for staggered cases. The model-predicted z_o and u_* agree well with the LES results. Results show that the model, which takes explicit account of the mutual sheltering effects, provides a rapid and reliable prediction method of roughness effects in turbulent boundary-layer flows over arrays of rectangular-prism roughness elements.

Full Text Available Information-carrying signals in the real world are often obscured by noise. A challenge for any system is to filter the signal from the corrupting noise. This task is particularly acute for the signal transduction network that mediates bacterial chemotaxis, because the signals are subtle, the noise arising from stochastic fluctuations is substantial, and the system is effectively acting as a differentiator which amplifies noise. Here, we investigated the filtering properties of this biological system. Through simulation, we first show that the cutoff frequency has a dramatic effect on the chemotactic efficiency of the cell. Then, using a mathematical model to describe the signal, noise, and system, we formulated and solved an optimal filtering problem to determine the cutoff frequency that bests separates the low-frequency signal from the high-frequency noise. There was good agreement between the theory, simulations, and published experimental data. Finally, we propose that an elegant implementation of the optimal filter in combination with a differentiator can be achieved via an integral control system. This paper furnishes a simple quantitative framework for interpreting many of the key notions about bacterial chemotaxis, and, more generally, it highlights the constraints on biological systems imposed by noise.

This thesis presents a series of studies on the dynamics of high mass ratio multiples, with applications to planetary systems orbiting stars and stellar systems orbiting supermassive black holes (SMBHs). Almost two thousand exoplanetary systems have recently been discovered, and their configurations gave rise to new puzzles to planetary formation theories. We studied the dynamics of planetary systems aiming to understand how the configuration of planetary system is sculptured and to probe the origin of planetary systems. First, we discussed hierarchical three-body dynamics, which can be applied to planets that are orbiting a star while perturbed by a planet or a star that is farther away. The perturbation from the farther object can flip the planetary orbits and produce counter orbiting hot Jupiters, which cannot be formed in the classical planetary formation theory. In addition, we have studied the scatter encounter of planetary systems in clusters, which produce eccentric and inclined planets. Moreover, we investigated the obliquity variation of planets, which can be applied to exoplanetary systems. The obliquity variation is important to the habitability of the exoplanets. The long term dynamics is also important to stellar systems orbiting SMBHs. SMBHs are common in the center of galaxies and lead to rich dynamical interactions with nearby stars. At the same time, dynamical features of the nearby stars reveal important properties of the SMBHs. The aforementioned hierarchical three-body dynamics can be applied to stars near SMBH binaries, which are natural consequences of galaxy mergers. We found that the distribution of stars surrounding one of the SMBHs results in a shape of torus due to the perturbation from the other SMBH, and the dynamical interactions contribute to an enhancement of tidal disruption rates, which can help identify the SMBH binaries. In addition, we investigated the heating of stars near SMBHs, where the heating of stars due to gravitational

Postvegetative Dictyostelium discoideum cells react chemotactically to gradients of cAMP, folic acid, and pterin. In the presence of a constant concentration of 10-5 M cAMP cells move at random. They still are able to respond to superimposed gradients of cAMP, although the response is less efficient

I read with great interest the article by Gbele et al published in issue 44 of World J Gastroenterol 2009.The results of their study indicate that-2518 Monocyte chemotactic protein-1(MCP-1)genotype AA is a risk factor for spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.However,there are some items that need to be discussed.

This paper presents the design of a resonant converter with a switching frequency in the very high frequency range (30-300MHz), a large step down ratio and low output power. This gives the designed converters specifications which are far from previous results. The class E inverter and rectifier...

Hydrotalcites having a Mg/Al molar ratio between 3 and 30 have been synthesized as promising high-temperature CO2 sorbents. The existence of NaNO3 in the hydrotalcite structure, which originates from excess magnesium nitrate in the precursor, markedly increases CO2 sorption uptake by hydrotalcite up to the record high value of 9.27 mol kg(-1) at 240 °C and 1 atm CO2.

We report methods to coat fused-silica microresonators with solution-grown high-aspect-ratio (AR) gold nanorods (NRs). Microresonators coated using our method maintain an optical quality factor (Q) greater than 107 after coating. The more successful method involves silanization of the surface of the microresonator with 3-mercaptopropylmethyldimethoxysilane (MPMDMS), to enable the adhesion of gold NRs. The high-AR NR-coated microresonator combines the field enhancement of localized surface plasmon resonances with the cavity-enhanced evanescent components of high-Q whispering-gallery modes, making it useful for plasmonic sensing applications in the infrared. By coating with NRs having a different aspect ratio, the enhancement regime can be selected within a wide range of wavelengths.

A study conducted on high-performance deployable structures for the support of high-concentration ratio solar array modules is discussed. Serious consideration is being given to the use of high-concentration ratio solar array modules or applications such as space stations. These concentrator solar array designs offer the potential of reduced cost, reduced electrical complexity, higher power per unit area, and improved survivability. Arrays of concentrators, such as the miniaturized Cassegrainian concentrator modules, present a serious challenge to the structural design because their mass per unit area (5.7 kg/square meters) is higher than that of flexible solar array blankets, and the requirement for accurate orientation towards the Sun (plus or minus 0.5 degree) requires structures with improved accuracy potentials. In addition, use on a space station requires relatively high structural natural frequencies to avoid deleterious interactions with control systems and other large structural components. The objective here is to identify and evaluate conceptual designs of structures suitable for deploying and accurately supporting high-concentration ratio solar array modules.

We have previously demonstrated that a tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive subpopulation of mononuclear cells isolated from collagenase digests of human osteoclastoma tissue exhibits an osteoclast phenotype and can be induced to resorb bone. Using these osteoclast precursors as a model system, we have assessed the chemotactic potential of 16 chemokines. Three CC chemokines, the recently described CKbeta-8, RANTES, and MIP-1alpha elicited significant chemotactic responses. In contrast, 10 other CC chemokines (MIP-1beta, MCP-1, MCP-2, MCP-3, MCP-4, HCC-1, eotaxin-2, PARC, SLC, ELC) and 3 CXC chemokines (IL-8, GROalpha, SDF-1) were inactive. None of these chemokines showed any chemotactic activity for either primary osteoblasts derived from human bone explants or the osteoblastic MG-63 cell line. The identity of the osteoclast receptor that mediates the chemotactic response remains to be established. However, all three active chemokines have been reported to bind to CCR1 and cross-desensitization studies demonstrate that RANTES and MIP-1alpha can partially inhibit the chemotactic response elicited by CKbeta-8. CKbeta-8, the most potent of the active CC chemokines (EC(max) 0.1-0.3 nM), was further characterized with regard to expression in human bone and cartilage. Although expression is not restricted to these tissues, CKbeta-8 mRNA was shown to be highly expressed in osteoblasts and chondrocytes in human fetal bone by in situ hybridization. In addition, CKbeta-8 protein was shown to be present in human osteophytic tissue by immunolocalization. These observations suggest that CKbeta-8, and perhaps other chemokines, may play a role in the recruitment of osteoclast precursors to sites of bone resorption.

The increase of the dimensionality of data sets often lead to problems during estimation, which are denoted as the curse of dimensionality. One of the problems of Second Order Statistics (SOS) estimation in high dimensional data is that the resulting covariance matrices are not full rank, so their i

The increase of the dimensionality of data sets often lead to problems during estimation, which are denoted as the curse of dimensionality. One of the problems of Second Order Statistics (SOS) estimation in high dimensional data is that the resulting covariance matrices are not full rank, so their

Micro-swimmers such as bacteria E. coli are known to perform random walks known as run-and-tumbles to move up chemo-attractant gradients and as a result aggregate. It is also known that such micro-swimmers can self-organize into macroscopic patterns due to interactions with neighboring cells through the fluidic environment they live in. While the pattern formation resulting from chemotactic and hydrodynamic interactions separately and together have been previously investigated, the effect of the tumbling anisotropy in micro-swimmers has been unexplored. Here we show through linear analysis and full nonlinear simulations that the slight anisotropy in the individual swimmer tumbles can alter the collective pattern formation in non-trivial ways. We show that the tumbling anisotropy diminishes the magnitude of the chemotactic aggregates but may result in more such aggregation peaks.

Chemotaxis has a meaningful role in several fields, such as microbial physiology, medicine and biotechnology. We present a new application of dynamic laser speckle (or biospeckle) to detect different degrees of bacterial motility during chemotactic response experiments. Encouraging results showed different bacterial dynamic responses due to differences in the hardness of the support in the swarming plates. We compare this method to a conventional technique that uses white light. Both methods showed to be analogous and, in some cases, complementary. The results suggest that biospeckle processed images can be used as an alternative method to evaluate bacterial chemotactic response and can supply additional information about the bacterial motility in different areas of the swarm plate assay that might be useful for biological analysis.

Long silver nanowires (average length of 28 μm, average aspect ratio of 130) with uniform diameter along their length were produced by polyol synthesis of AgNO{sub 3} in ethylene glycol in the presence of PVP as preferential growth agent. Nanowires were produced with no addition of chloride salts such as NaCl or CuCl{sub 2} (or other additives such as Na{sub 2}S) which are usually used for lowering reduction rate of Ag ions by additional etchant of O{sub 2}/Cl{sup −}. Lower reduction rate was obtained by increasing the injection time of PVP and AgNO{sub 3} solutions, which was the significant factor in the formation of nanowires. Therefore, there was enough time for reduced Ag atoms to be deposited preferentially in the direction of PVP chains, resulting in high yield (the fraction of nanowires in the products) of nanowires (more than 95%) with high aspect ratio. The produced nanowires had both round- and sharp-ends with pentagonal cross section. Higher energy level of Ag atoms in borders of MTPs, which increases the dissolution rate of precipitated atoms, in addition to partial melting of MTPs at high synthesis temperatures, leads to the curving of the surfaces of exposed (111) crystalline planes in some MTPs and the formation of round-end silver nanowires. - Highlights: • Long silver nanowires with high aspect ratio of 130 were produced. • More than 95% nanowires were produced in products. • The produced nanowires had round- and sharp-ends with pentagonal cross section. • Additives were needed neither for high yield synthesis nor for round-end nanowires. • Melting and etching of MTPs in high energy borders resulted to round-end nanowires.

Directed cell migration is critical for numerous physiological processes including development and wound healing. However chemotaxis is also exploited during cancer progression. Recent reports have suggested links between vesicle trafficking pathways and directed cell migration. Very little is known about the potential roles of endocytosis pathways during metastasis. Therefore we performed a series of studies employing a previously characterised model for chemotactic invasion of cancer cells to assess specific hypotheses potentially linking endocytosis to directed cell migration. Our results demonstrate that clathrin-mediated endocytosis is indispensable for epidermal growth factor (EGF) directed chemotactic invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells. Conversely, caveolar endocytosis is not required in this mode of migration. We further found that chemoattractant receptor (EGFR) trafficking occurs by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and is polarised towards the front of migrating cells. However, we found no role for clathrin-mediated endocytosis in focal adhesion disassembly in this migration model. Thus, this study has characterised the role of endocytosis during chemotactic invasion and has identified functions mechanistically linking clathrin-mediated endocytosis to directed cell motility.

We present a microelectromechanical tunable capacitor with a low control voltage, a wide tuning range and adequate electrical quality factor. The device is fabricated in a single-crystalline silicon layer using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) for obtaining high-aspect ratio (> 20) parallel comb-...... response and it was found that the device is a suitable passive component to be used in impedance matching applications, band-pass filtering or voltage controlled oscillators in the Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF) bands.......We present a microelectromechanical tunable capacitor with a low control voltage, a wide tuning range and adequate electrical quality factor. The device is fabricated in a single-crystalline silicon layer using deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) for obtaining high-aspect ratio (> 20) parallel comb......-drive structures with vertical sidewalls. The process sequence for fabrication of the devices uses only one lithographic masking step and can be completed in a short time. The fabricated device was characterized with respect to electrical quality factor, tuning range, self-resonance frequency and transient...

The chemotactic N-formylated oligopeptides are potent spasmogenic agents for guinea pig ileum. Structure-activity studies with various N-formylated peptides suggest the presence of a specific receptor that resembles in specificity the formyl peptide receptor on leukocytes. A competitive antagonist of the formyl peptide receptor on leukocytes also inhibits formyl peptide-induced ileum contraction, whereas the antihistamine diphenhydramine is without effect. The contractile response caused by t...

Piezoelectric composites were prepared by dielectrophoretic alignment of high aspect ratio piezoelectric particles in a thermosetting polymer matrix. A high level of alignment was achieved in the cured composite from a resin containing randomly oriented high aspect ratio particles. Upon application

Plasmonic lithography, which utilizes subwavelength confinement of surface plasmon polartion (SPP) waves, has the capability of breaking the diffraction limit and delivering high resolution. However, all previously reported results suffer from critical issues, such as shallow pattern depth and pattern nonuniformity even over small exposure areas, which limit the application of the technology. In this work, periodic patterns with high aspect ratios and a half-pitch of about 1/6 of the wavelength were achieved with pattern uniformity in square centimeter areas. This was accomplished by designing a special mask and photoresist (PR) system to select a single high spatial frequency mode and incorporating the PR into a waveguide configuration to ensure uniform light exposure over the entire depth of the photoresist layer. In addition to the experimental progress toward large-scale applications of plasmonic interference lithography, the general criteria of designing such an exposure system is also discussed, which can be used for nanoscale fabrication in this fashion for various applications with different requirements for wavelength, pitch, aspect ratio, and structure.

Intensity ratio of density sensitive emission lines emitted from Fe ions in the extreme ultraviolet region is important for astrophysics applications. We report high-resolution intensity ratio measurements for Fe ions performed at Tokyo EBIT laboratory by employing a flat-field grazing incidence spectrometer. The experimental intensity ratios of Fe X and Fe XII are plotted as a function of electron density for different electron beam currents. The experimental results are compared with the predicted intensity ratios from the model calculations.

Our latest research results on GaAs-AlGaAs multiple quantum well spatial light modulators are presented. The thickness uniformity of the epitaxial layers across the 3-inch wafer grown by our molecular beam epitaxy is better than 0.1% and the variation of cavity resonance wavelength within the wafer is only 0.9 nm. A contrast ratio (CR) of 102 by varying bias voltage from 0 to 6.7 V is achieved after fine tuning the cavity by etching an adjust layer. Both theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that incorporating an adjust layer is an effective tuning method for obtaining high CR. (semiconductor integrated circuits)

A HYNIC-conjugated chemotactic peptide (fMLFK-HYNIC) was labeled with (99m)Tc using tricine and TPPTS as coligands. The combination of fMLFK-HYNIC, tricine, and TPPTS with (99m)Tc produced a ternary ligand complex [(99m)Tc(fMLFK-HYNIC)(tricine)(TPPTS)] (RP463). RP463 was synthesized either in two steps, in which the binary ligand complex [(99m)Tc(fMLFK-HYNIC)(tricine)(2)] (RP469) was formed first and then reacted with TPPTS, or in one step by direct reduction of [(99m)Tc]pertechnetate with stannous chloride in the presence of fMLFK-HYNIC, tricine, and TPPTS. The radiolabeling yield for RP463 was usually >/=90% using 10 microg of fMLFK-HYNIC and 100 mCi of [(99m)Tc]pertechnetate. Unlike RP469, which decomposed rapidly in the absence of excess tricine coligand, RP463 was stable in solution for at least 6 h. [(99)Tc]RP463 was prepared and characterized by HPLC and electrospray mass spectrometry. In an in vitro assay, [(99)Tc]RP463 showed an IC(50) of 2 nM against binding of [(3)H]fMLF to receptors on PMNs. [(99)Tc]RP463 also induces effectively the superoxide release of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) with an EC(50) value of 0.2 +/- 0.2 nM. The localization of RP463 in the infection foci was assessed in a rabbit infection model. RP463 was cleared from the blood faster than RP469 and was excreted mainly through the renal system. As a result of rapid blood clearance and increased uptake, the target-to-background ratios continuously increased from 1.5 +/- 0.2 at 15 min postinjection to 7.5 +/- 0.4 at 4 h postinjection. Visualization of the infected area could be as early as 2 h. A transient decrease in white blood cell count of 35% was observed during the first 30 min after injection of the HPLC-purified RP463 in the infected rabbit. This suggests that future research in this area should focus on developing highly potent antagonists for chemotactic peptide receptor or other receptors on PMNs and monocytes.

An effective glucose biosensor requires a sufficient amount of GOx immobilizing on the electrode surface. An electrode of a 3D nanorod array, having a larger surface-to-volume ratio than a 2D nanostructure, can accommodate more GOx molecules to immobilize onto the surface of the nanorods. In this study, a highly sensitive Au-Ni coaxial nanorod array electrode fabricated through the integration of nano electroforming and immersion gold (IG) method for glucose detection was developed. The average diameter of the as-synthesized Ni nanorods and that of the Au-Ni nanorods were estimated to be 150 and 250 nm, respectively; both had a height of 30 μm. The aspect ratio was 120. Compared to that of a flat Au electrode, the effective sensing area was enhanced by 79.8 folds. Actual glucose detections demonstrated that the proposed Au-Ni coaxial nanorod array electrode could operate in a linear range of 27.5 μM-27.5mM with a detection limit of 5.5μM and a very high sensitivity of 769.6 μA mM(-1)cm(-2). Good selectivity of the proposed sensing device was verified by sequential injections of uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA). Long-term stability was examined through successive detections over a period of 30 days.

A simple and scalable method was developed for the fabrication of wearable strain and bending sensors, based on high aspect ratio (length/thickness ˜103) graphite nanobelt thin films deposited by a modified Langmuir-Blodgett technique onto flexible polymer substrates. The sensing mechanism is based on the changes in contact resistance between individual nanobelts upon substrate deformation. Very high sensor response stability for more than 5000 strain-release cycles and a device power consumption as low as 1 nW were achieved. The device maximum stretchability is limited by the metal electrodes and the polymer substrate; the maximum strain that could be applied to the polymer used in this work was 40%. Bending tests carried out for various radii of curvature demonstrated distinct sensor responses for positive and negative curvatures. The graphite nanobelt thin flexible films were successfully tested for acoustic vibration and heartbeat sensing.

852nm nano-second laser pulse chain with a high on/off ratio is generated via chopping a continuous-wave laser beam by using of a Mach-Zehnder-type electro-optic intensity modulator (MZ-EOIM). Detailed analysis and dependence of the on/off ratio on the splitting ratio, the co-splitting ratio, and the arms loss of MZ-EIOM are presented. By optimizing the polarization of incident laser beam and stabilizing MZ-EOIM temperature, the static on/off ratio of 12600:1 is achieved. Also the dynamic on/off ratios versus the pulse repetition rate and the pulse duty cycle are measured and discussed. This high on/off ratio ns pulsed laser system has served as the excitation pulse source for a triggered single-photon source based on trapped single cesium atom, which reveals a representative anti-bunching.

High aspect ratio magnetic nanomaterials possess anisotropic properties that make them attractive for biological applications. Their elongated shape enables multivalent interactions with receptors through the introduction of multiple targeting units on their surface, thus enhancing cell internalization. Moreover, due to their magnetic anisotropy, high aspect ratio nanomaterials can outperform their spherical analogues as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. In th...

The chemotactic behavior of deep terrestrial subsurface bacteria toward amino acids, carbohydrates and trichloroethylene was assayed using a modification of the capillary method and bacterial enumeration by acridine orange direct counts. Eleven isolates of bacteria isolated from six different geological formations were investigated. A bimodal response rather than an absolute positive or negative response was observed in most assays. Most of the isolates were positively chemotactic to low concentrations of substrates and were repelled by high concentrations of the same substrate. However, this was not the case for trichloroethylene (TCE) which was mostly an attractant and elicited the highest responses in all the isolates when compared with amino acids and carbohydrates. The movement rates of these isolates in aseptic subsurface sediments in the absence and presence of TCE were also determined using a laboratory model. All of the isolates showed distinct response range, peak, and threshold concentrations when exposed to the same substrates suggesting that they are possibly different species as has been inferred from DNA homology studies. 101 refs., 4 figs., 57 tabs.

The Phase I work reported here responds to DoE'ss stated need "...to develop improved accelerator designs that can provide very high gradient (>200 MV/m for electrons...) acceleration of intense bunches of particles." Omega-P's approach to this goal is through use of a ramped train of annular electron bunches to drive a coaxial dielectric wakefield accelerator (CDWA) structure. This approach is a direct extension of the CDWA concept from acceleration in wake fields caused by a single drive bunch, to the more efficient acceleration that we predict can be realized from a tailored (or ramped) train of several drive bunches. This is possible because of a much higher transformer ratio for the latter. The CDWA structure itself has a number of unique features, including: a high accelerating gradient G, potentially with G > 1 GeV/m; continuous energy coupling from drive to test bunches without transfer structures; inherent transverse focusing forces for particles in the accelerated bunch; highly stable motion of high charge annular drive bunches; acceptable alignment tolerances for a multi-section system. What is new in the present approach is that the coaxial dielectric structure is now to be energized by-not one-but by a short train of ramped annular-shaped drive bunches moving in the outer coaxial channel of the structure. We have shown that this allows acceleration of an electron bunch traveling along the axis in the inner channel with a markedly higher transformer ratio T than for a single drive bunch. As described in this report, the structure will be a GHz-scale prototype with cm-scale transverse dimensions that is expected to confirm principles that can be applied to the design of a future THz-scale high gradient (> 500 MV/m) accelerator with mm-scale transverse dimensions. We show here a new means to significantly increase the transformer ratio T of the device, and thereby to significantly improve its suitability as a flexible and effective component in

We consider an inertial model of chemotactic aggregation generalizing the Keller-Segel model and we study the linear dynamical stability of an infinite and homogeneous distribution of cells (bacteria, amoebae, endothelial cells,...) when inertial effects are accounted for. These inertial terms model cells directional persistance. We determine the condition of instability and the growth rate of the perturbation as a function of the cell density and the wavelength of the perturbation. We discuss the differences between overdamped (Keller-Segel) and inertial models. Finally, we show the analogy between the instability criterion for biological populations and the Jeans instability criterion in astrophysics.

The plasmodium of true slime mold Physarum polycephalum is a unicellular and multinuclear giant amoeba. Since the cellular organism has some computational abilities, it is attracting much attention in the field of information science. However, previous studies have mainly focused on the optimization behavior of the plasmodium for a single-modality stimulus, and there are few studies on how the organism adapts to multi-modal stimuli. We stimulated the plasmodium with mixture of attractant and repellent stimuli, and we observed bifurcation in the chemotactic behavior of the plasmodium.

The pressure ratio required for a turbocharger centrifugal compressor increases with internal combustion engine power density. High pressure ratio causes a transonic flow field at the impeller inducer. Transonic flow narrows the stable flow range and de-teriorates stage efficiency. In this work, an advanced high pressure ratio transonic compressor was designed. The experimental results show that the maximum pressure ratio of this turbocharger is about 4.2, the maximum efficiency is above 80% and the stable flow range at the designed rotating speed is up to 34%. A turbocharger with this transonic compressor has been applied to some vehicle research actually, and improved power density by 40%.

DC winding losses remain a major roadblock in realizing high efficiency micro-magnetic components (inductors/transformers). This paper reports an optimized photoresist process using negative tone and acrylic based THB-151N (from JSR Micro), to achieve one of the highest aspect ratio (17:1) and resolution (~5 µm) resist patterns for fabrication of thick (~80 µm) micro-winding using UV lithography. The process was optimized to achieve photoresist widths from 5 µm to 20 µm with resist thickness of ~85 µm in a single spin step. Unlike SU-8, this resist can be readily removed and shows a near-vertical (~91°) electroplated Cu side-wall profile. Moreover, the high resolution compared to available resist processes enables a further reduction in the footprint area and can potentially increase the number of winding thereby increasing the inductance density for micro-magnetic components. Resistance measurements of electroplated copper winding of air-core micro-inductors within the standard 0402 size (0.45 mm2 footprint area) suggested a 42% decrease in resistance (273 mΩ-159 mΩ) with the increase in electroplated Cu thickness (from 50 µm to 80 µm). Reduction of the spacings (from 10 µm to 5 µm) enabled further miniaturisation of the device footprint area (from 0.60 mm2 to 0.45 mm2) without significant increase in resistance.

Corneal inflammation with subsequent scarring and blindness occurs in the inherited human metabolic disease tyrosinemia type II, yet putative inflammatory mediators in this disorder and in the avascular cornea in general are poorly defined. In a Tyr-fed rat model of tyrosinemia type II, intracellular crystals, presumably Tyr, are hypothesized to be responsible for the increased lysosomal activity observed in corneal epithelial lesions. Because polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are seen only at the site of these lesions, we used this model to study humoral mediators released from Tyr-fed rat corneal organ cultures. Only Tyr-fed rats developed stromal edema and linear granular opacities in gray edematous corneal epithelium, compatible with a noninfectious keratitis. Electron micrographs confirmed epithelial edema and showed focal epithelial necrosis with PMN invasion of the stroma. Only Tyr-fed rat corneal culture supernatants contained chemotactic activity that was heat labile and moderately trypsin sensitive. Four peaks with varying amounts of chemotactic activity were found on Sephadex G-75 chromatography. Although the identity of these peaks of activity has not yet been established, we suggest that they may be responsible for the PMN infiltration observed in this model of corneal inflammation.

This paper deals with a mathematical model of cancer invasion of tissue recently proposed by Chaplain and Lolas. The model consists of a reaction-diffusion-taxis partial differential equation (PDE) describing the evolution of tumour cell density, a reaction-diffusion PDE governing the evolution of the proteolytic enzyme concentration and an ordinary differential equation modelling the proteolysis of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In addition to random motion, the tumour cells are directed not only by haptotaxis (cellular locomotion directed in response to a concentration gradient of adhesive molecules along the ECM) but also by chemotaxis (cellular locomotion directed in response to a concentration gradient of the diffusible proteolytic enzyme). In one space dimension, the global existence and uniqueness of a classical solution to this combined chemotactic-haptotactic model is proved for any chemotactic coefficient χ > 0. In two and three space dimensions, the global existence is proved for small χ/μ (where μ is the logistic growth rate of the tumour cells). The fundamental point of proof is to raise the regularity of a solution from L1 to Lp (p > 1). Furthermore, the existence of blow-up solutions to a sub-model in two space dimensions for large χ shows, to some extent, that the condition that χ/μ is small is necessary for the global existence of a solution to the full model.

Full Text Available Japanese encephalitis (JE one of the most common cause of acute encephalitis in tropical regions, has generated much public anxiety in India. An early influx of macrophages followed by neutrophils at the site of injury in different organs in humans and mice has previously been reported. It correlated with production of a neutrophil chemotactic protein derived from macrophages. In the present study out of a total of 324 acute encephalitic patients, admitted in Gandhi memorial and associated hospitals, Lucknow, 121 patients with one or more indicators of JE virus infection were included. Significant pleocytosis (mean TLC value of 126+52 cells / mm3 in CSF and leucocytosis (>11,000 cells/mm3 in peripheral blood was observed at the time of admission. The leucocytosis increased significantly during second week in 67% of patients. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells culture done on alternate days was tested for chemotactic activity (hMDF, which was observed to be highest in second week of illness. The direct detection of hMDF in circulation by dot blot was positive in 92% of acute serum samples, with negligible (12.5% reactivity for convalescent sera. A correlation between the hMDF levels and severity of illness has also been observed.

Full Text Available This paper presents an experimental research on mechanical properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC at low and high water/binder (W/B ratios. Concrete at two W/B ratios (0.255 and 0.586 was broken into recycled concrete aggregates (RCA. A type of thermal treatment was employed to remove mortar attached to RCA. The RAC at a certain (low or high W/B ratio was prepared with RCA made from demolished concrete of the same W/B ratio. Tests were conducted on aggregate to measure water absorption and crushing values and on both RAC and natural aggregate concrete (NAC to measure compressive strength, tensile splitting strength, and fracture energy. The mechanical properties of RAC were lower than those of NAC at an identical mix proportion. Moreover, the heating process caused a decrease in compressive strength and fracture energy in the case of low W/B ratio but caused an increase in those properties in the case of high W/B ratio. The main type of flaw in RCA from concrete at a low W/B ratio should be microcracks in gravel, and the main type of flaw in RCA from concrete at a high W/B ratio should be attached mortar.

It is a hotpot that extraction the floor area ratio from high resolution remote sensing images. It is a development trend of using nightlight data to survey the urban social and economic information. This document aims to provide a conference relationship model for VIIRS/NPP nightlight data and floor Area Ratio from High Resolution ZY-3 Images. It shows that there is a lineal relationship between the shadow and the floor area ratio, and the R2 is 0.98. It shows that there is a quadratic polynomial relationship between the floor area ratio and the nightlight, and the R2 is 0.611. We can get a conclusion that, VIIRS/NPP nightlights data may show the floor area ratio in an extent at level of administrative street.

The structural integrity of high pressure liquid propellant rocket engine thrust chambers is typically maintained through regenerative cooling. The coolant flows through passages formed either by constructing the chamber liner from tubes or by milling channels in a solid liner. Recently, Carlile and Quentmeyer showed life extending advantages (by lowering hot gas wall temperatures) of milling channels with larger height to width aspect ratios (AR is greater than 4) than the traditional, approximately square cross section, passages. Further, the total coolant pressure drop in the thrust chamber could also be reduced, resulting in lower turbomachinery power requirements. High aspect ratio cooling channels could offer many benefits to designers developing new high performance engines, such as the European Vulcain engine (which uses an aspect ratio up to 9). With platelet manufacturing technology, channel aspect ratios up to 15 could be formed offering potentially greater benefits. Some issues still exist with the high aspect ratio coolant channels. In a coolant passage of circular or square cross section, strong secondary vortices develop as the fluid passes through the curved throat region. These vortices mix the fluid and bring lower temperature coolant to the hot wall. Typically, the circulation enhances the heat transfer at the hot gas wall by about 40 percent over a straight channel. The effect that increasing channel aspect ratio has on the curvature heat transfer enhancement has not been sufficiently studied. If the increase in aspect ratio degrades the secondary flow, the fluid mixing will be reduced. Analysis has shown that reduced coolant mixing will result in significantly higher wall temperatures, due to thermal stratification in the coolant, thus decreasing the benefits of the high aspect ratio geometry. A better understanding of the fundamental flow phenomena in high aspect ratio channels with curvature is needed to fully evaluate the benefits of this

Cantilever-type silicon microprobes with an integrated tip and a piezoresistive signal read out have successfully proven to bridge the gap between scanning force microscopy and stylus profilometry. Roughness measurements in high-aspect-ratio microstructures (HARMS) with depths down to 5 mm and widths down to 50 µm have been demonstrated. To improve the scanning speed up to 15 mm s‑1, the wear of the tip has to be reduced. The atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique with alumina (Al2O3) has been tested for this purpose. Repeated wear measurements with coated and uncoated microprobe cantilevers have been carried out on a roughness standard at a speed of 15 mm s‑1. The tip shape and the wear have been measured using a new probing tip reference standard containing rectangular silicon grooves with widths from 0.3 µm to 3 µm. The penetration depth of the microprobe allows one to measure the wear of the tip as well as the tip width and the opening angle of the tip. The roughness parameters obtained on the roughness standard during wear experiments agree well with the reference values measured with a calibrated stylus instrument, nevertheless a small amount of wear still is observable. Further research is necessary in order to obtain wear resistant microprobe tips for non-destructive inspection of microstructures in industry and microform measurements, for example in injection nozzles.

The microstructure and properties of high carbonic-chromium cast steel subjected to different hot deformation ratios were studied. The experimental results show that the microstructure and properties of high carbonic-chromium cast steel are obviously improved after hot deformation, and the best mechanical properties of the cast steel can be obtained under hot deformation ratio of 40 %-50 %, which leads to the morphology change of eutectic carbide and the precipitation of granular carbides.

High molar ratio potassium silicate solution used in zinc-rich water-base coatings was prepared by adding the nanosize SiO2 to the low molar ratio potassium silicate solution, and its microstructure was investigated by SEM and IR.Furthermore, the zinc-rich coatings was prepared by adding the zinc powders to this type of solution, and the properties of the coatings were evaluated. The test results show that the high molar ratio potassium silicate solution is the bonder of zinc-rich inorganic coatings with excellent property.

In this work, high aspect ratio zinc oxide nanowires are synthesized using templated one-step electrodeposition technique. Electrodeposition of the nanowires is done using a handcrafted electronic system. Nuclear track-etched polycarbonate membrane is used as a template to form the high aspect ratio nanowires. The result of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy shows that nanowires with a good crystallinity and an aspect ratio of more than 30 can be achieved in a suitable condition. The height of electrodeposited nanowires reaches to about 11 μm. Based on the obtained results, high aspect ratio ZnO nanowires can be formed using inexpensive electrodeposition setup with an acceptable quality.

The above studies demonstrate that the /sup 51/Cr radiolabel chemotactic assay is a relatively simple and objective means for studying leukocyte chemotaxis in both normal and pathological conditions. Application of this method to studies of normal human chemotaxis revealed a relatively narrow range of normal and little day-to-day variability. Analysis of this variability revealed that there is more variability among the response of different granulocytes to a constant chemotactic stimulus than among the chemotactic activity of different sera to a single cell source. Utilizing the /sup 51/Cr radioassay, the abnormal granulocyte chemotactic behavior reported in Chediak-Higashi syndrome and a patient with recurrent pyogenic infections and mucocutaneous candidiasis has been confirmed. The /sup 51/Cr chemotactic assay has also been used to assess the generation of chemotactic activity from human serum and plasma. The in vitro generation of two distinct chemotactic factors were examined; the complement product (C5a) and kallikrein, an enzyme of the kinin-generating pathway. Kinetic analysis of complement-related chemotactic factor formation, utilizing immune complexes or endotoxin to activate normal sera in the presence or absence of EGTA as well as kinetic analysis of activation of C2-deficient human serum, provided an easy means of distinguishing the classical (antibody-mediated) complement pathway from the alternate pathway. Such kinetic analysis is necessary to detect clinically important abnormalities since, after 60 min of generation time, normal chemotactic activity may be present despite complete absence or inhibition of one complement pathway. The chemotactic factor generated by either pathway of complement activation appears to be predominately attributable to C5a.

Highlights: • Nanocell lattice with a high aspect ratio on InSb semiconductor surface was fabricated by ion beam irradiation. • The fabrication technique consisting of top-down and bottom-up processes was performed in FIB. • High aspect ratio of 2 was achieved in nanocell lattice with a 100 nm interval. • The intermediate-flux irradiation is favorable for fabrication of nanocell with a high aspect ratio. - Abstract: A high aspect ratio nanocell lattice was fabricated on the InSb semiconductor surface using the migration of point defects induced by ion beam irradiation. The fabrication technique consisting of the top-down (formation of voids and holes) and bottom-up (growth of voids and holes into nanocells) processes was performed using a focused ion beam (FIB) system. A cell aspect ratio of 2 (cell height/cell diameter) was achieved for the nanocell lattice with a 100 nm dot interval The intermediate-flux ion irradiation during the bottom-up process was found to be optimal for the fabrication of a high aspect ratio nanocell.

We present a simple model that describes the motion of a single chemotactic cell exposed to a traveling wave of the chemoattractant. The model incorporates two types of responses to stimulation by the chemoattractant, i.e., change in polarity and change in motility of the cell. The periodic change in motility is assumed to be induced by the periodic stimulation by the chemoattractant on the basis of previous observations. Consequently, net migration of the cell occurs in a particular direction with respect to wave propagation, which explains the migration of Dictyostelium cells in aggregation processes. The difference between two time delays from the stimulation to the two responses and the wave frequency determined by the frequency of the secretion of the chemoattractant are important parameters that determine the direction of migration and the effective interaction between cells in a population. This result explains the dispersed state of a population of vegetative cells and cells in preaggregation without ...

Animals locate and track chemoattractive gradients in the environment to find food. With its simple nervous system, Caenorhabditis elegans is a good model system in which to understand how the dynamics of neural activity control this search behavior. To understand how the activity in its interneurons coordinate different motor programs to lead the animal to food, here we used optogenetics and new optical tools to manipulate neural activity directly in freely moving animals to evoke chemotactic behavior. By deducing the classes of activity patterns triggered during chemotaxis and exciting individual neurons with these patterns, we identified interneurons that control the essential locomotory programs for this behavior. Notably, we discovered that controlling the dynamics of activity in just one interneuron pair was sufficient to force the animal to locate, turn towards and track virtual light gradients.

The triglycerides/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio has been proposed to be a good predictor of cardiovascular disease. The relationship between alcohol consumption and TG/HDL-C ratio in patients with hypertension is unknown. Subjects were normotensive and hypertensive men aged 35-60 years who were divided by daily ethanol intake into non-, light (<22g/day), heavy (≥22 but <44g/day), and very heavy (≥44g/day) drinkers. The TG/HDL-C ratio was significantly higher in the hypertensive group than in the normotensive group. Both in the normotensive and hypertensive groups, TG/HDL-C ratio was significantly lower in light, heavy, and very heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers and was lowest in light drinkers. In the hypertensive group, odds ratios (ORs) for high TG/HDL-C ratio (≥3.75) in light, heavy, and very heavy drinkers vs. nondrinkers were significantly lower (P < 0.01) than a reference level of 1.00 (light drinkers: OR = 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.40-0.59; heavy drinkers: OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.52-0.67; very heavy drinkers: OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.61-0.80) and were significantly lower than the corresponding ORs in the normotensive group. The ORs for hypertension in subjects with vs. subjects without high TG/HDL-C ratio were significantly higher than the reference level in all the alcohol groups and were significantly lower in light, heavy, and very heavy drinkers than in nondrinkers. The results suggest that there is an inverted J-shaped relationship between alcohol and TG/HDL-C ratio in individuals with hypertension and that alcohol weakens the positive association between TG/HDL-C ratio and hypertension.

Dissolved gas ratios and isotopic compositions provide essential information about the biological and physical mechanisms influencing N-2, O-2, and Ar in aquatic systems. Current methods available are either limited by overall cost, labor-intensive sample collection and analysis, or insufficient ...

This work visualizes the flow surrounding a scaled model vertical axis wind turbine at realistic operating conditions. The model closely matches geometric and dynamic properties—tip speed ratio and Reynolds number—of a full-size turbine. The flow is visualized using particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) in the midplane upstream, around, and after (up to 4 turbine diameters downstream) the turbine, as well as a vertical plane behind the turbine. Time-averaged results show an asymmetric wake behind the turbine, regardless of tip speed ratio, with a larger velocity deficit for a higher tip speed ratio. For the higher tip speed ratio, an area of averaged flow reversal is present with a maximum reverse flow of -0.04U_∞. Phase-averaged vorticity fields—achieved by syncing the PIV system with the rotation of the turbine—show distinct structures form from each turbine blade. There were distinct differences in results by tip speed ratios of 0.9, 1.3, and 2.2 of when in the cycle structures are shed into the wake—switching from two pairs to a single pair of vortices being shed—and how they convect into the wake—the middle tip speed ratio vortices convect downstream inside the wake, while the high tip speed ratio pair is shed into the shear layer of the wake. Finally, results show that the wake structure is much more sensitive to changes in tip speed ratio than to changes in Reynolds number.

The high water-cement ratio concrete specimens under biaxial compression that completed in a triaxial testing machine were experimentally studied.Strength and deformations of plain concrete specimens after 0,25,50 cycles of freeze-thaw.Influences of freeze-thaw cycles and stress ratio on the peak stress and deformation of this point were analyzed aecording to the experimental results.Based on the test data,the failure criterion expressed in terms of principal stress after difierent cycles of freeze-thaw,and the failure criterion with consideration of the influence of freeze-thaw cycle and sffess ratio were proposed respectively.

This paper introduced a wafer-scale fabrication approach for the preparation of nanochannels with high-aspect ratio (the ratio of the channel depth to its width). Edge lithography was used to pattern nanogaps in an aluminum film, which was functioned as deep reactive ion etching mask thereafter to form the nanochannel. Nanochannels with aspect ratio up to 172 and width down to 44 nm were successfully fabricated on a 4-inch Si wafer with width nonuniformity less than 13.6%. A microfluidic chip integrated with nanometer-sized filters was successfully fabricated by utilizing the present method for geometric-controllable nanoparticle packing.

In the production of radioisotopes and neutron activation analysis, the fast neutron densities are very important to estimate the yields of the radioisotopes. In order to determine the fast neutron flux ratio, different foils are used to measure the thermal neutron flux and the fast neutron flux. In this paper 238U was used as only a monitor to measure the ratio of high energy neutron (>6 MeV). By measuring the

The effect of negative to positive electrode materials' weight ratio on the electrochemical performance of both activated carbon (AC)/AC and AC/graphite capacitors has been investigated, especially in the terms of capacity and cycle-ability. The limited capacity charge mode has been proposed to improve the cycle performance of AC/graphite capacitors at high weight ratios of AC/graphite. (author)

There is great need for the development of an efficient delivery method of macromolecules, including nucleic acids, proteins, and peptides, to cell cytoplasm without eliciting toxicity or changing cell behavior. High-aspect ratio nanomaterials have addressed many challenges present in conventional methods, such as cell membrane passage and endosomal degradation, and have shown the feasibility of efficient high-throughput macromolecule delivery with minimal perturbation of cells. This review describes the recent advances of in vitro and in vivo physical macromolecule delivery with high-aspect ratio nanostructured materials and summarizes the synthesis methods, material properties, relevant applications, and various potential directions.

In this work, the piezoelectric properties at high electric fields of dielectrophoretically aligned PZT - polymer composites containing high aspect ratio particles (such as short fibers) are presented. Polarization and strain as a function of electric field are evaluated. The properties of the compo

Full Text Available This study presents a four-phase interleaved high voltage conversion ratio bidirectional DC-DC converter circuit based on coupled inductors and switched capacitors, which can eliminate the defects of conventional high voltage conversion ratio bidirectional DC-DC converters in terms of high-voltage/current stress, less efficiency and low-power limitation. Parallel channels are used to reduce current stress at the low-voltage side and series connected switched capacitors are used to enlarge voltage conversion ratio, reduce voltage stress and achieve auto current sharing. This paper proposes the operation principle, feature analysis and optimization design considerations. On this basis the objectives of high voltage conversion ratio, low voltage/current stress, high power density, high efficiency and high-power applications can be achieved. Some experimental results based on a 500 W prototype converter (24 V to 48 V at low-voltage side, 400 V at high-voltage side are given to verify the theoretical analysis and the effectiveness of the proposed converter.

Geographical and temporal associations were shown between high mortality from lung cancer and a high sex ratio of births both in the town of Bathgate (Scotland) and in the area of that town which was most exposed to polluted air from a local steel foundry. These findings constituted a replication of a similar association in an adjacent town.

High aspect ratio ZnO nanorods were grown vertically on ZnO seed layer deposited silicon, glass and polyimide substrates by a solution process at low-temperature using zinc nitrate hexahydrate and hexamethylenetetramine. We studied the effect of polyethlyeneimine (PEI) on the growth of ZnO nanorods. It was found that PEI has a prominent effect on controlling the aspect ratio of ZnO nanorods in solution. The morphological and photoluminescence properties of the ZnO nanorods were also examined with varying the growth temperature (60-90 Degree-Sign C). - Graphical abstract: With addition of polyehyleneimine (PEI) high aspect-ratio ZnO nanorods were grown. It is believed that during ZnO nanorods growth, protonized form of linear PEI molecules inhibits the lateral growth by being adsorbed on non-polar lateral planes. Thus the vertical growth is favored. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A controlled growth of high aspect ratio ZnO nanorods on different substrates. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A prominent effect of polyethlyeneimine (PEI) on controlling the aspect ratio of ZnO nanorods in solution. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Precursor concentration and growth temperature effect for various aspect ratio ZnO nanorods.

The chemotactic N-formylated oligopeptides are potent spasmogenic agents for guinea pig ileum. Structure-activity studies with various N-formylated peptides suggest the presence of a specific receptor that resembles in specificity the formyl peptide receptor on leukocytes. A competitive antagonist of the formyl peptide receptor on leukocytes also inhibits formyl peptide-induced ileum contraction, whereas the antihistamine diphenhydramine is without effect. The contractile response caused by the synthetic N-formylated peptides differs from those induced by acetylcholine, histamine, and substance P. In particular, a latent period after treatment with the N-formyl peptides is seen before the onset of the response, and a sustained contractile response is not maintained. In addition, tachyphylaxis does occur, but complete recovery of activity is seen after a 20- to 30-min rest period. These observations suggest broad biological roles of prokaryotic signal peptides from bacteria as acute inflammatory mediators.

Circulation control wings are a type of pneumatic high-lift device that have been extensively researched as to their aerodynamic benefits. However, there has been little research into the possible airframe noise reduction benefits. The key element of noise is the jet noise associated with the jet sheet emitted from the blowing slot. This jet sheet is essentially a high aspect-ratio rectangular jet. This study directly compared far-field noise emissions from a state-of-the-art circulation control wing high lift configuration, and a conventional wing also configured for high lift. Results indicated that a circulation control wing had a significant acoustic advantage over a conventional wing for identical lift performance. A high aspect-ratio nozzle was fabricated to study the general characteristics of high aspect-ratio jets with aspect ratios from 100 to 3000. The results of this study provided the basic elements in understanding how to reduce the noise from a circulation control wing. High aspect-ratio nozzle results showed that the jet noise of this type of jet was proportional to the 8th power of the jet velocity. It was also found that the jet noise was proportional to the slot height to the 3/2 power and slot width to the 1/2 power. Fluid dynamic experiments were also performed on the high aspect-ratio nozzle. Single hot-wire experiments indicated that the jet exhaust from the high aspect-ratio nozzle was similar to a 2-d turbulent jet. Two-wire space-correlation experiments were performed to attempt to find a relationship between the slot height of the jet and the length-scale of the flow noise generating turbulence structure. The turbulent eddy convection velocity was also calculated, and was found to vary with the local centerline velocity, and also as a function of the frequency of the eddy.

The optimization of thermo-mechanical properties of polymer composites at low filler loadings is of great interest in both engineering and scientific fields. There have been several studies on high aspect ratio fillers as novel reinforcement phase for polymeric materials. However, facile synthesis method of high aspect ratio nanofillers is limited. In this study, a scalable synthesis method of high aspect ratio silica nanofibers is going to be presented. I will also demonstrate that the inclusion of high aspect ratio silica nanofibers in epoxy results in a significant improvement of epoxy thermo-mechanical properties at low filler loadings. With silica nanofiber concentration of 2.8% by volume, the Young's modulus, ultimate tensile strength and fracture toughness of epoxy increased ~23, ~28 and ~50%, respectively, compared to unfilled epoxy. At silica nanofiber volume concentration of 8.77%, the thermal expansion coefficient decreased by ˜40% and the thermal conductivity was improved by ˜95% at room temperature. In the current study, the influence of nano-sized silica filler aspect ratio on mechanical and thermal behavior of epoxy nanocomposites were studied by comparing silica nanofibers to spherical silica nanoparticles (with aspect ratio of one) at various filler loadings. The significant reinforcement of composite stiffness is attributed to the variation of the local stress state in epoxy due to the high aspect ratio of the silica nanofiber and the introduction of a tremendous amount of interfacial area between the nanofillers and the epoxy matrix. The fracture mechanisms of silica nanofiber filled epoxy were also investigated. The existence of high aspect ratio silica nanofiber promotes fracture energy dissipation by crack deflection, crack pinning as well as debonding with fiber pull-out leading to enhanced fracture toughness. High aspect ratio fillers also provide significant reduction of photon scattering due to formation of a continuous fiber network

High aspect ratio magnetic nanomaterials possess anisotropic properties that make them attractive for biological applications. Their elongated shape enables multivalent interactions with receptors through the introduction of multiple targeting units on their surface, thus enhancing cell internalization. Moreover, due to their magnetic anisotropy, high aspect ratio nanomaterials can outperform their spherical analogues as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. In this review, we first describe the two main synthetic routes for the preparation of anisotropic magnetic nanomaterials: (i) direct synthesis (in which the anisotropic growth is directed by tuning the reaction conditions or by using templates) and (ii) assembly methods (in which the high aspect ratio is achieved by assembly from individual building blocks). We then provide an overview of the biomedical applications of anisotropic magnetic nanomaterials: magnetic separation and detection, targeted delivery and magnetic resonance imaging.

This paper proposes a high voltage ratio and low ripple interleaved boost DC-DC converter, which can be used to reduce the output voltage ripple. This converter transfers the low DC voltage of fuel cell to high DC voltage in DC link. The structure of the converter is parallel with two voltage-doubler boost converters by interleaving their output voltages to reduce the voltage ripple ratio. Besides, it can lower the current stress for the switches and inductors in the system. First, the PSIM software was used to establish a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and a converter circuit model. The simulated and measured results of the fuel cell output characteristic curve are made to verify the correctness of the established simulation model. In addition, some experimental results are made to validate the effectiveness in improving output voltage ripple of the proposed high voltage ratio interleaved boost DC-DC converters.

A high-aspect-ratio microchannel heat exchanger based on multi-tool milling process was developed. Several slotting cutters were stacked together for simultaneously machining several high-aspect-ratio microchannels with manifold structures. On the basis of multi-tool milling process, the structural design of the manifold side height, microchannel length, width, number, and interval were analyzed. The heat transfer performances of high-aspect-ratio microchannel heat exchangers with two different manifolds were investigated by experiments, and the influencing factors were analyzed. The results indicate that the magnitude of heat transfer area per unit volume dominates the heat transfer performances of plate-type micro heat exchanger, while the velocity distribution between microchannels has little effects on the heat transfer performances.

High aspect ratio magnetic nanomaterials possess anisotropic properties that make them attractive for biological applications. Their elongated shape enables multivalent interactions with receptors through the introduction of multiple targeting units on their surface, thus enhancing cell internalization. Moreover, due to their magnetic anisotropy, high aspect ratio nanomaterials can outperform their spherical analogues as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) applications. In this review, we first describe the two main synthetic routes for the preparation of anisotropic magnetic nanomaterials: (i) direct synthesis (in which the anisotropic growth is directed by tuning the reaction conditions or by using templates) and (ii) assembly methods (in which the high aspect ratio is achieved by assembly from individual building blocks). We then provide an overview of the biomedical applications of anisotropic magnetic nanomaterials: magnetic separation and detection, targeted delivery and magnetic resonance imaging.

Individual neuronal, signal transduction, and regulatory pathways often control multiple stochastic downstream actuators, which raises the question of how coordinated response to a single input can be achieved when individual actuators fluctuate independently. In Escherichia coli, the bacterial chemotaxis pathway controls the activity of multiple flagellar motors to generate the run-and-tumble motion of the cell. High-resolution microscopy experiments have identified the key conformational changes adopted by individual flagella during this process. By incorporating these observations into a stochastic model of the flagellar bundle, we demonstrate that the presence of multiple motors imposes a trade-off on chemotactic performance. Multiple motors reduce the latency of the response below the time scale of the stochastic switching of a single motor, which improves performance on steep gradients of attractants. However, the uncoordinated switching of multiple motors interrupts and shortens cell runs, which thereby reduces signal detection and performance on shallow gradients. Remarkably, when slow fluctuations generated by the adaptation mechanism of the chemotaxis system are incorporated in the model at levels measured in experiments, the chemotactic sensitivity and performance in shallow gradients is partially restored with marginal effects for steep gradients. The noise is beneficial because it simultaneously generates long events in the statistics of individual motors and coordinates the motors to generate a long tail in the run length distribution of the cell. Occasional long runs are known to enhance exploration of random walkers. Here we show that they have the additional benefit of enhancing the sensitivity of the bacterium to very shallow gradients.

Inflammatory disease is a big threat to human health. Leukocyte chemotactic migration is required for efficient inflammatory response. Inhibition of leukocyte chemotactic migration to the inflammatory site has been shown to provide therapeutic targets for treating inflammatory diseases. Our study was designed to discover effective and safe compounds that can inhibit leukocyte chemotactic migration, thus providing possible novel therapeutic strategy for treating inflammatory diseases. In this study, we used transgenic zebrafish model (Tg:zlyz-EGFP line) to visualize the process of leukocyte chemotactic migration. Then, we used this model to screen the hit compound and evaluate its biological activity on leukocyte chemotactic migration. Furthermore, western blot analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of the hit compound on the AKT or ERK-mediated pathway, which plays an important role in leukocyte chemotactic migration. In this study, using zebrafish-based chemical screening, we identified that the hit compound meisoindigo (25 μM, 50 μM, 75 μM) can significantly inhibit zebrafish leukocyte chemotactic migration in a dose-dependent manner (p = 0.01, p = 0.0006, p migration (p = 0.43). Furthermore, our results unexpectedly showed that indirubin, the core structure of meisoindigo, had no significant effect on zebrafish leukocyte chemotactic migration (p = 0.6001). Additionally, our results revealed that meisoindigo exerts no effect on the Akt or Erk-mediated signalling pathway. Our results suggest that meisoindigo, but not indirubin, is effective for inhibiting leukocyte chemotactic migration, thus providing a potential therapeutic agent for treating inflammatory diseases.

In this report, we describe the fabrication of periodic Ag nanogrid electrodes by capillary assembly of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) along patterned nanogrid templates. By assembling the AgNPs into these high-aspect-ratio nanogrid patterns, we can obtain high-aspect-ratio nanogratings, which can overcome the inherent trade-off between the optical transmittance and the sheet resistance of transparent electrodes. The junction resistance between the AgNPs is effectively reduced by photochemical welding and post-annealing. The fabricated high-aspect-ratio nanogrid structure with a line width of 150 nm and a height of 450 nm has a sheet resistance of 15.2 Ω sq-1 and an optical transmittance of 85.4%.In this report, we describe the fabrication of periodic Ag nanogrid electrodes by capillary assembly of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) along patterned nanogrid templates. By assembling the AgNPs into these high-aspect-ratio nanogrid patterns, we can obtain high-aspect-ratio nanogratings, which can overcome the inherent trade-off between the optical transmittance and the sheet resistance of transparent electrodes. The junction resistance between the AgNPs is effectively reduced by photochemical welding and post-annealing. The fabricated high-aspect-ratio nanogrid structure with a line width of 150 nm and a height of 450 nm has a sheet resistance of 15.2 Ω sq-1 and an optical transmittance of 85.4%. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01896c

of photolithography. Successful fabrication of re ection gratings requires a high degree of precision in the photolithographic process. The fabrication process has thus been optimized by optimizing the photolithographic process for fabrication of high aspect ratio structures, i.e. structures with details...... that are small compared to the height of the structure. A decisive factor is the ability of the process to separate closely- spaced structures. The primary measure of quality is thus the aspect ratio of the narrowest trench which it is possible to resolve in the lithographic process. The optimization...

We have analyzed chemotaxis of neutrophil-differentiated HL60 cells in microfluidic devices that create exponential gradients of the chemoattractant, f-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP). Such gradients expose each cell to a difference in fMLP concentration (DeltaC) across its diameter that is directly proportional to the ambient concentration (C) at that cell's position in the gradient, so the ratio DeltaC/C is constant everywhere. Cells exposed to ambient fMLP concentrations near the constant of dissociation (K(d)) for fMLP binding to its receptor ( approximately 10 nM) crawl much less frequently when DeltaC/C is 0.05 than when it is 0.09 or 0.13. Hence, cells can detect the gradient across their diameter without moving and, thus, without experiencing temporal changes in attractant concentration. At all DeltaC/C ratios tested, the average chemotactic prowess of individual cells (indicated by the distance a cell traveled in the correct direction divided by the length of its migration path) is maximal for cells that start migrating at concentrations near the K(d) and progressively decreases at higher or lower starting concentrations.

Oxygen is an important component of water quality and its ability to sustain life. Water aeration is the process of introducing air into a body of water to increase its oxygen saturation. Water aeration can be accomplished in a variety of ways, for instance, closed-conduit aeration. High-speed flow in a closed conduit involves air-water mixture flow. The air flow results from the subatmospheric pressure downstream of the gate. The air entrained by the high-speed flow is supplied by the air vent. The air entrained into the flow in the form of a large number of bubbles accelerates oxygen transfer and hence also increases aeration efficiency. In the present work, the optimum air-demand ratio for maximum aeration efficiency in high-head gated circular conduits was studied experimentally. Results showed that aeration efficiency increased with the air-demand ratio to a certain point and then aeration efficiency did not change with a further increase of the air-demand ratio. Thus, there was an optimum value for the air-demand ratio, depending on the Froude number, which provides maximum aeration efficiency. Furthermore, a design formula for aeration efficiency was presented relating aeration efficiency to the air-demand ratio and Froude number.

The cryogenic process and Bosch process are two widely used processes for reactive ion etching of high aspect ratio silicon structures. This paper focuses on the cryogenic deep etching of 400 nm pitch silicon gratings with various etching mask materials including polymer, Cr, SiO2 and Cr-on-polymer. The undercut is found to be the key factor limiting the achievable aspect ratio for the direct hard masks of Cr and SiO2, while the etch selectivity responds to the limitation of the polymer mask. The Cr-on-polymer mask provides the same high selectivity as Cr and reduces the excessive undercut introduced by direct hard masks. By optimizing the etching parameters, we etched a 400 nm pitch grating to ≈ 10.6 μm depth, corresponding to an aspect ratio of ≈ 53.

This invention provides a nano-scaled graphene platelet (NGP) having a thickness no greater than 100 nm and a length-to-width ratio no less than 3 (preferably greater than 10). The NGP with a high length-to-width ratio can be prepared by using a method comprising (a) intercalating a carbon fiber or graphite fiber with an intercalate to form an intercalated fiber; (b) exfoliating the intercalated fiber to obtain an exfoliated fiber comprising graphene sheets or flakes; and (c) separating the graphene sheets or flakes to obtain nano-scaled graphene platelets. The invention also provides a nanocomposite material comprising an NGP with a high length-to-width ratio. Such a nanocomposite can become electrically conductive with a small weight fraction of NGPs. Conductive composites are particularly useful for shielding of sensitive electronic equipment against electromagnetic interference (EMI) or radio frequency interference (RFI), and for electrostatic charge dissipation.

Graphical abstract: Surface engineering of high aspect ratio silicon structures. - Highlights: • Multiple roughening techniques for high aspect ratio devices were investigated. • Modification of surface morphology of high aspect ratio silicon devices (1:15). • Decrease of 76% in impedance proves significant increase in surface area. - Abstract: In various applications such as neural prostheses or solar cells, there is a need to alter the surface morphology of high aspect ratio structures so that the real surface area is greater than geometrical area. The change in surface morphology enhances the devices functionality. One of the applications of altering the surface morphology is of neural implants such as the Utah electrode array (UEA) that communicate with single neurons by charge injection induced stimulation or by recording electrical neural signals. For high selectivity between single cells of the nervous system, the electrode surface area is required to be as small as possible, while the impedance is required to be as low as possible for good signal to noise ratios (SNR) during neural recording. For stimulation, high charge injection and charge transfer capacities of the electrodes are required, which increase with the electrode surface. Traditionally, researchers have worked with either increasing the roughness of the existing metallization (platinum grey, black) or other materials such as Iridium Oxide and PEDOT. All of these previously investigated methods lead to more complicated metal deposition processes that are difficult to control and often have a critical impact on the mechanical properties of the metal films. Therefore, a modification of the surface underneath the electrode's coating will increase its surface area while maintaining the standard and well controlled metal deposition process. In this work, the surfaces of the silicon micro-needles were engineered by creating a defined microstructure on the electrodes surface using several

Full Text Available Experimental results are presented which describe the development and structure of flow downstream of two staggered rows of film-cooling holes with compound angle orientations at high blowing ratios. These film cooling configurations are important because they are frequently employed on the first stage of rotating blades of operating gas turbine engines. With this configuration, holes are spaced 3d apart in the spanwise direction, with inclination angles of 24 degrees, and angles of orientation of 50.5 degrees. Blowing ratios range from 0.5 to 4.0 and the ratio of injectant to freestream density is near 1.0. Results show that spanwise averaged adiabatic effectiveness, spanwise-averaged iso-energetic Stanton number ratios, surveys of streamwise mean velocity, and surveys of injectant distributions change by important amounts as the blowing ratio increases. This is due to injectant lift-off from the test surface just downstream of the holes which becomes more pronounced as blowing ratio increases.

The authors compared the influence of laser thermal annealing (LTA) and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on dopant activation and electrical performance of phosphorus and arsenic doped n+/p junction. High carrier concentration above 1020 cm-3 as well as an ION/IOFF ratio of approximately 105 and ide...

The acousto-optical interaction of an optical wave confined inside a waveguide and a surface acoustic wave launched by an interdigital transducer (IDT) at the surface of a piezoelectric material is considered. The IDT with high aspect ratio electrodes supports several acoustic modes that are stro...

In this work we present high-aspect ratio carbon pillars (1.4 μm in diameter and ∼11 μm in height) on top of interdigitated electrode arrays to be used for electrochemical applications. For this purpose, different types of 2D and 3D pyrolysed carbon structures were fabricated and characterised...

This paper rationalizes the green and scalable synthesis of graphenic materials of different aspect ratios using anthracite coal as a single source material under different supercritical environments. Single layer, monodisperse graphene oxide quantum dots (GQDs) are obtained at high yield (55 wt %) from anthracite coal in supercritical water. The obtained GQDs are ∼3 nm in lateral size and display a high fluorescence quantum yield of 28%. They show high cell viability and are readily used for imaging cancer cells. In an analogous experiment, high aspect ratio graphenic materials with ribbon-like morphology (GRs) are synthesized from the same source material in supercritical ethanol at a yield of 6.4 wt %. A thin film of GRs with 68% transparency shows a surface resistance of 9.3 kΩ/sq. This is apparently the demonstration of anthracite coal as a source for electrically conductive graphenic materials.

High aspect ratio silicon wire arrays with excellent pattern fidelity over wafer-scale area were grown by chemical vapor deposition at moderate temperature, using a gas mixture of silane and hydrogen chloride. An innovative two-step process was developed for in situ doping of silicon wires by diborane. This process led to high p-type doping levels, up to 10 18-10 19 cm -3, without degradation of the silicon wire array pattern fidelity.

Full Text Available Abstract Background The most common causes of granulomatous inflammation are persistent pathogens and poorly-degradable irritating materials. A characteristic pathological reaction to intratracheal instillation, pharyngeal aspiration, or inhalation of carbon nanotubes is formation of epithelioid granulomas accompanied by interstitial fibrosis in the lungs. In the mesothelium, a similar response is induced by high aspect ratio nanomaterials, including asbestos fibers, following intraperitoneal injection. This asbestos-like behaviour of some engineered nanomaterials is a concern for their potential adverse health effects in the lungs and mesothelium. We hypothesize that high aspect ratio nanomaterials will induce epithelioid granulomas in nonadherent macrophages in 3D cultures. Results Carbon black particles (Printex 90 and crocidolite asbestos fibers were used as well-characterized reference materials and compared with three commercial samples of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs. Doses were identified in 2D and 3D cultures in order to minimize acute toxicity and to reflect realistic occupational exposures in humans and in previous inhalation studies in rodents. Under serum-free conditions, exposure of nonadherent primary murine bone marrow-derived macrophages to 0.5 μg/ml (0.38 μg/cm2 of crocidolite asbestos fibers or MWCNTs, but not carbon black, induced macrophage differentiation into epithelioid cells and formation of stable aggregates with the characteristic morphology of granulomas. Formation of multinucleated giant cells was also induced by asbestos fibers or MWCNTs in this 3D in vitro model. After 7-14 days, macrophages exposed to high aspect ratio nanomaterials co-expressed proinflammatory (M1 as well as profibrotic (M2 phenotypic markers. Conclusions Induction of epithelioid granulomas appears to correlate with high aspect ratio and complex 3D structure of carbon nanotubes, not with their iron content or surface area. This model

...; in the second part, chemotactic cells from the sample were separated, and mixed with culture media to form nanoliter droplets for encapsulation, cultivation, enumeration, and recovery of single cells...

A series of three convergent round-to-rectangular high-aspect ratio nozzles were designed for acoustics measurements. The nozzles have exit area aspect ratios of 8:1, 12:1, and 16:1. With septa inserts, these nozzles will mimic an array of distributed propulsion system nozzles, as found on hybrid wing-body aircraft concepts. Analyses were performed for the three nozzle designs and showed that the flow through the nozzles was free of separated flow and shocks. The exit flow was mostly uniform with the exception of a pair of vortices at each span-wise end of the nozzle.

We present an approach to fabricate tall high aspect ratio Au microstructures by means of proton beam direct writing. Combining proton beam direct writing and electroplating, we successfully produced gold structures with sub-micrometer lateral dimensions, structure heights in excess of 11 {mu}m, and aspect ratios over 28. Sidewall quality of the Au structures was improved by lowering the process temperature to 20 deg. C when developing PMMA patterns with GG developer. The application of such structures as X-ray masks for deep X-ray lithography with synchrotron radiation was demonstrated.

The price-performance ratio of PHEV determines its market penetration.Besides en-gine and battery,the power coupling system including traction motor and automatic transmission is a key influence factor of system performance and costs.This article introduces an electro-me-chanical power coupling system for PHEV with high price-performance ratio,which integrates an electro-mechanical CVT and a flat traction motor.As an example,a PHEV system is configured to conform the vehicle dynamic specifications.

Current economic constraints and environmental regulations call for design of more efficient aircraft configurations. An observed trend in aircraft design to reduce the lift induced drag and improve fuel consumption and emissions is to increase the wing aspect-ratio. However, a slender wing is more flexible and subject to higher deflections under the same operating conditions. This effect may lead to changes in dynamic behaviour and in aeroelastic response, potentially resulting in instabilities. Therefore, it is important to take into account geometric non-linearities in the design of high aspect-ratio wings, as well as having accurate computational codes that couple the aerodynamic and structural models in the presence of non-linearities. Here, a review on the state-of-the-art on non-linear aeroelasticity of high aspect-ratio wings is presented. The methodologies employed to analyse high aspect-ratio wings are presented and their applications discussed. Important observations from the state-of-the-art studies are drawn and the current challenges in the field are identified.

This paper presents a high dimming ratio light emitting diode (LED) drive controller chip with digital mode dimming (DMD). The chip is composed of a boost power converter and a dimming control block. A novel constant on time (COT) control strategy is proposed for boost converter to achieve high dimming ratio. In addition, a fast enough load transient response of the converter power stage ensures its high dimming ratio. The COT control circuit operates mainly based on two current-capacitor timers and a finite state machine (FSM). The LED drive con-troller chip is designed and fabricated in 1.5μm bipolar CMOS-DMOS (BCD) process with a die area of 1.31 × 1.43 mm2. Experimental results show that the proposed LED drive system works well. And, as expected, the minimum LED dimming on time of 1.0μs and the corresponding dimming ratio of 1000 : 1 at 1 kHz dimming frequency are successfully achieved.

Full Text Available Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate chemotactic activity o neutrophil to S. mutans. Chemotaxis assay was performed in blind well chambers. Materials and Methods: Hanks balanced salt solution (HBSS containing 106 S. mutans, 108 S. mutans, 10-8 M fMLP, or HBSS alone were placed in the lower wells of the chamber and covered with polycorbonate membrane filter. Neutrophils suspension (2x105 cells was then placed in the upper compartment. After incubation for 60 mins at 37ºC in a humidified atmosphere with 5% CO2, the filters were removed and stained with Giemsa. Result: ANOVA revealed statistically significant differences among groups (p<0.05, indicating that S. mutans induced neutrophils chemotaxis. The number of neutrophils migration in response to 108 S. mutans and 106 S. mutans were signifiantly greater compared to fMLP (p<0.05. Conclusion: S. mutans may activate human neutrophils, resulting in the chemotaxis of the neutrophils.DOI: 10.14693/jdi.v16i2.99

Helicobacter pylori CPY3401 and an isogenic urease-negative mutant, HPT73, showed chemotactic responses to urea, flurofamide (a potent urease inhibitor), and sodium bicarbonate. Since urea and sodium bicarbonate are secreted through the gastric epithelial surface and hydrolysis of urea by urease on the bacterial surface is essential for colonization, the chemotactic response of H. pylori may be crucial for its colonization and persistence in the stomach.

An immiscible multicomponent lattice Boltzmann model is developed for fluids with high relaxation time ratios, which is based on the model proposed by Shan and Chen (SC). In the SC model, an interaction potential between particles is incorporated into the discrete lattice Boltzmann equation through the equilibrium velocity. Compared to the SC model, external forces in our model are discretized directly into the discrete lattice Boltzmann equation, as proposed by Guo et al. We develop it into a new multicomponent lattice Boltzmann (LB) model which has the ability to simulate immiscible multicomponent fluids with relaxation time ratio as large as 29.0 and to reduce `spurious velocity’. In this work, the improved model is validated and studied using the central bubble case and the rising bubble case. It finds good applications in both static and dynamic cases for multicomponent simulations with different relaxation time ratios.

Single-Molecule diodes were first proposed with an asymmetric molecule comprising a donor-bridge-acceptor architecture to mimic a semiconductor p-n junction. Progress in molecular electronics has led to the realization of several single-molecule diodes; these have relied on asymmetric molecular backbones, asymmetric molecule-electrode linkers, or asymmetric electrode materials. Despite these advances, molecular diodes have had limited potential for functional applications due to several pitfalls, including low rectification ratios (``on''/``off'' current ratios environment instead of an asymmetric molecule, we reproducibly achieve high rectification ratios at low operating voltages for molecular junctions based on a family of symmetric small-gap molecules. This technique serves as an unconventional approach for developing functional molecular-scale devices and probing their charge transport characteristics. Furthermore, this technique should be applicable to other nanoscale devices, providing a general route for tuning device properties.

Microcasting is one of the significant technologies for the production of metallic micro parts with high aspect ratio (ratio of flow length to diameter). A micro precision casting technology based on investment casting using centrifugal method was investigated. The micro parts of Zn-4%Al alloy with an aspect ratio up to 200 was produced at the centrifugal speed of 1 500 r/min and the mold temperature of 270 ℃. The investigations on the relationship between flow length and rotational speed were carried out. For microcasting, the flow length is not only dependent on the centrifugal speed under the constant centrifugal radius, but also on the preheating temperature of mold. The flow length increases as the rotational speed and the mold temperature increase, and is much higher at a mold temperature of 270 ℃ than at other mold temperatures.

A simple method using 800-nm femtosecond laser irradiation and chemical selective etching has been proposed for fabrication of high-aspect-ratio all-silicon grooves. Grooves with the maximum aspect ratio of 44 were produced. A scanning electronic microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was employed to characterize the morphology and chemical composition of the grooves respectively. The formation mechanism of the grooves was attributed to the chemical reaction of the laser induced refractive index change microstructures and hydrofluoric acid solution. The dependences of the aspect ratio of the grooves on the laser irradiation parameters, such as: the numerical aperture of the microscope objective lens, the laser average power and the laser scanning velocity, are discussed.

How to use high aspect ratio anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membranes as an etching and evaporation mask is one of the unsolved problems in the application of nanostructured arrays. Here we describe the versatile utilizations of the highly ordered AAO membranes with a high aspect ratio of more than 20 used as universal masks for the formation of various nanostructure arrays on various substrates. The result shows that the fabricated nanopore and nanoparticle arrays of substrates inherit the regularity of the AAO membranes completely. The flat AAO substrates and uneven AAO frontages were attached to the Si substrates respectively as an etching mask, which demonstrates that the two kinds of replication, positive and negative, represent the replication of the mirroring of Si substrates relative to the flat AAO substrates and uneven AAO frontages. Our work is a breakthrough for the broad research field of surface nano-masking.

Objective: To study the chemotactic superfamily genes expression profiling of macrophage line U937 treated with monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) using gene chip technique. Methods: Total RNA from macrophage line U937 (as control) and U937 with MCP-1 was extracted, made reverse transcript to cDNA and tested with gene expression chip HO2 human. Results: Some chemotactic-related gene expressions were changed in all analyzed genes. Regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) was up-regulated over 2-fold and 7 chemotactic-related genes (CCR2, CCR5, CCL16, GROβ, GROγ, IL-8 and granulocyte chemotactic protein 2) were down-regulated over 2-fold inMCP-1 treated U937 cells at mRNA level. Conclusion: MCP-1 can influence some chemokines and receptors expression in macrophage in vitro, in which MCP-1 mainly down-regulates the chemotactic genes expression of those influencing neutrophilic granulocyte (GROβ, GROγ, IL-8 and granulocyte chemotactic protein 2). Another novel finding is that it can also down-regulate the mRNA level of CCR5, which plays a critical role in many disorders and illnesses.

@@ Human spermatozoa may chemotactically find out the egg by following an increasing gradient of attractant molecules.Although human spermatozoa have been observed to show several of the physiological characteristics of chemotaxis,the chemotactic pattern of movement has not been easy to describe.However,it is apparent that chemotactic cells may be identified while returning to the attractant source.This study characterizes the pattern of movement of human spermatozoa during chemotactic re-orientation towards a progesterone source,which is a physiological attractant candidate.By means of videomicroscopy and image analysis,a chemotactic pattern of movement was identified as the spermatozoon returned towards the source of a chemotactic concentration of progesterone (10 pmol l-1).First,as a continuation of its original path,the spermatozoon swims away from the progesterone source with linear movement and then turns back with a transitional movement that can be characterized by an increased velocity and decreased linearity.This sperm behaviour may help the spermatozoon to re-orient itself towards a progesterone source and may be used to identify the few cells that are undergoing chemotaxis at a given time.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Variable-emittance materials are in high demand for applications ranging from manned and unmanned space platforms (e.g. in radiators at the Moon's poles where damage...

Pseudomonas fluorescens strains (LAM1-hydrophilic) and (LAM2-hydrophobic) showed positive chemotaxis towards attractants (sugars, amino acids, polyols and organic acids) present in the exudate of Macrophomina phaseolina (a soil-borne plant pathogenic fungus). The varied response of motility traits such as speed, rate of change in direction (RCDI) and net to gross displacement ratio (NGDR) was observed for different chemoattractants. Swimming speed of the strains was highest in 10-fold diluted exudate or 100-1000 microM strength of different attractants, but further dilutions significantly decreased the swimming speed (P = 0.05). Chemotactic response of P fluorescens was positively correlated with swimming speed (P = 0.05; r = 0.76). Relative to control, the RCDI values decreased 1.5-fold in amino acids or sugars, and 1.2-fold in polyols or organic acids. With increase in swimming speed, the NGDR of both strains also increased, but the RCDI decreased. Both hydrophilic and hydrophobic strains did not show significant differences in their motility traits. The results demonstrate that M. phaseolina exudate contains chemical attractants that serve as signal for flagellar motility of P. fluorescens. Motile P fluorescens strains thus may consume fungal exudate as nutrients, and thus spores could offer a niche for these bacteria in soil.

Many bacteria perform a run-and-tumble random walk to explore their surrounding and to perform chemotaxis. In this article we present a novel method to infer the relevant parameters of bacterial motion from experimental trajectories including the tumbling events. We introduce a stochastic model for the orientation angle, where a shot-noise process initiates tumbles, and analytically calculate conditional moments, reminiscent of Kramers-Moyal coefficients. Matching them with the moments calculated from experimental trajectories of the bacteria E. coli and Pseudomonas putida, we are able to infer their respective tumble rates, the rotational diffusion constants, and the distributions of tumble angles in good agreement with results from conventional tumble recognizers. We also define a novel tumble recognizer, which explicitly quantifies the error in recognizing tumbles. In the presence of a chemical gradient we condition the moments on the bacterial direction of motion and thereby explore the chemotaxis strategy. For both bacteria we recover and quantify the classical chemotactic strategy, where the tumble rate is smallest along the chemical gradient. In addition, for E. coli we detect some cells, which bias their mean tumble angle towards smaller values. Our findings are supported by a scaling analysis of appropriate ratios of conditional moments, which are directly calculated from experimental data. PMID:28114420

Full Text Available A framework based on multibody dynamics has been developed for the static and dynamic aeroelastic analyses of flexible high aspect ratio wing aircraft subject to structural geometric nonlinearities. Multibody dynamics allows kinematic nonlinearities and nonlinear relationships in the forces definition and is an efficient and promising methodology to model high aspect ratio wings, which are known to be prone to structural nonlinear effects because of the high deflections in flight. The multibody dynamics framework developed employs quasi-steady aerodynamics strip theory and discretizes the wing as a series of rigid bodies interconnected by beam elements, representative of the stiffness distribution, which can undergo arbitrarily large displacements and rotations. The method is applied to a flexible high aspect ratio wing commercial aircraft and both trim and gust response analyses are performed in order to calculate flight loads. These results are then compared to those obtained with the standard linear aeroelastic approach provided by the Finite Element Solver Nastran. Nonlinear effects come into play mainly because of the need of taking into account the large deflections of the wing for flight loads computation and of considering the aerodynamic forces as follower forces.

To date, conventional thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been the method of choice to deposit high-quality Pt thin films grown typically from (MeCp)PtMe3 vapor and O2 gas at 300 °C. Plasma-assisted ALD of Pt using O2 plasma can offer several advantages over thermal ALD, such as faster nucleation and deposition at lower temperatures. In this work, it is demonstrated that plasma-assisted ALD at 300 °C also allows for the deposition of highly conformal Pt films in trenches with high aspect ratio ranging from 3 to 34. Scanning electron microscopy inspection revealed that the conformality of the deposited Pt films was 100% in trenches with aspect ratio (AR) up to 34. These results were corroborated by high-precision layer thickness measurements by transmission electron microscopy for trenches with an aspect ratio of 22. The role of the surface recombination of O-radicals and the contribution of thermal ALD reactions is discussed.

The Cenozoic basalts from eastern China show commonly high Fe/Mn ratios (average = 68.6 ± 11.5) coupled with OIB-type trace element signature. The Cenozoic basalts form the northern margin and the southern margin of the North China Craton are studied in detail. Model calculations point out that the coupling feature of high Fe/Mn ratio with OIB-type trace element signature of these basalts cannot be produced by neither pyroxene/olivine crystallization nor remelting of previously melted mantle, but require partial melting of a garnet pyroxenite-rich mantle source. Combining these features of the Cenozoic basalts with the Phanerozoic lithospheric evolution of the eastern China, we suggest that the Cenozoic basalts were derived from a garnet pyroxenite-rich mantle source associated with continental crust delamination or oceanic crust subduction.

A wetting and drying approach for free surface flows governed by the three-dimensional, non-hydrostatic Navier-Stokes equations in high aspect ratio domains is developed. This has application in the modelling of inundation processes in geophysical domains, where dynamics takes place over a large horizontal extent relative to vertical resolution, such as in the evolution of a tsunami, or an urban fluvial flooding scenario. The approach is novel in that it solves for three dimensional dynamics in these very high aspect ratio domains, to include non-hydrostatic effects and accurately model dispersive processes. These become important in shallow regions with steep gradients, a particularly acute problem where man-made structures exist such as buildings or flood defences in an urban environment. It is implicit in time to allow efficient time integration over a range of mesh element sizes. Specific regularisation methods are introduced to improve conditioning of the full three-dimensional pressure Poisson problem i...

The paper is devoted to the problem of designing and optimizing the nacelle of turbojet bypass engine with high bypass ratio and high thrust. An optimization algorithm EGO based on development of surrogate models and the method for maximizing the probability of improving the objective function has been used. The designing methodology has been based on the numerical solution of the Reynolds equations system. Spalart-Allmaras turbulence model has been chosen for RANS closure. The effective thrust losses has been uses as an objective function in optimizing the engine nacelle. As a result of optimization, effective thrust has been increased by 1.5 %. The Blended wing body aircraft configuration has been studied as a possible application. Two variants of the engine layout arrangement have been considered. It has been shown that the power plant changes the pressure distribution on the aircraft surface. It results in essential diminishing the configuration lift-drag ratio.

Earth's inner core exhibits an unusually high Poisson's ratio and noticeable elastic anisotropy. The mechanisms responsible for these features are critical for understanding the evolution of the Earth but remain unclear. This study indicates that once the correct formula for the shear modulus is used, shear softening can simultaneously explain the high Poisson's ratio and strong anisotropy of the inner core. Body-centred-cubic (bcc) iron shows shear instability at the pressures found in the inner-core and can be dynamically stabilized by temperature and light elements. It is very likely that some combinations of light elements stabilize the bcc iron alloy under inner-core conditions. Such a bcc phase would exhibit significant shear softening and match the geophysical constraints of the inner core. Identifying which light elements and what concentrations of these elements stabilize the bcc phase will provide critical information on the light elements of the inner core.

The surface morphology of an LED light emitting surface is changed by applying a reactive ion etch (RIE) process to the light emitting surface. High aspect ratio, submicron roughness is formed on the light emitting surface by transferring a thin film metal hard-mask having submicron patterns to the surface prior to applying a reactive ion etch process. The submicron patterns in the metal hard-mask can be formed using a low cost, commercially available nano-patterned template which is transferred to the surface with the mask. After subsequently binding the mask to the surface, the template is removed and the RIE process is applied for time duration sufficient to change the morphology of the surface. The modified surface contains non-symmetric, submicron structures having high aspect ratio which increase the efficiency of the device.

Extreme ultraviolet lithography is one of the modern lithography tools for high-volume manufacturing with 22 nm resolution and beyond. But critical challenges exist to the design and fabrication of large-scale and highly efficient diffraction transmission gratings, significantly reducing the feature sizes down to 22 nm and beyond. To achieve such a grating, the surface flatness, the line edge roughness, the transmission efficiency and aspect ratio should be improved significantly. Delachat et al (2015 Nanotechnology 26 108262) develop a full process to fabricate a tungsten diffraction grating on an ultrathin silicon membrane with higher aspect ratio up to 8.75 that met all the aforementioned requirements for extreme ultraviolet lithography. This process is fully compatible with standard industrial extreme ultraviolet lithography.

Extreme ultraviolet lithography is one of the modern lithography tools for high-volume manufacturing with 22 nm resolution and beyond. But critical challenges exist to the design and fabrication of large-scale and highly efficient diffraction transmission gratings, significantly reducing the feature sizes down to 22 nm and beyond. To achieve such a grating, the surface flatness, the line edge roughness, the transmission efficiency and aspect ratio should be improved significantly. Delachat et al (2015 Nanotechnology 26 108262) develop a full process to fabricate a tungsten diffraction grating on an ultrathin silicon membrane with higher aspect ratio up to 8.75 that met all the aforementioned requirements for extreme ultraviolet lithography. This process is fully compatible with standard industrial extreme ultraviolet lithography.

We report few-layer SnSe{sub 2} field effect transistors (FETs) with high current on/off ratios. By trying different gate configurations, 300 nm SiO{sub 2} and 70 nm HfO{sub 2} as back gate only and 70 nm HfO{sub 2} as back gate combined with a top capping layer of polymer electrolyte, few-layer SnSe{sub 2} FET with a current on/off ratio of 10{sup 4} can be obtained. This provides a reliable solution for electrically modulating quasi-two-dimensional materials with high electron density (over 10{sup 13} cm{sup −2}) for field-effect transistor applications.

The Cenozoic basalts from eastern China show commonly high Fe/Mn ratios (average = 68.6 卤 11.5) coupled with OIB-type trace element signature. The Cenozoic basalts form the northern margin and the southern margin of the North China Craton are studied in detail. Model calculations point out that the coupling feature of high Fe/Mn ratio with OIB-type trace element signature of these basalts cannot be produced by neither pyroxene/olivine crystallization nor remelting of previously melted mantle, but require partial melting of a garnet pyroxenite-rich mantle source. Combining these features of the Cenozoic basalts with the Phanerozoic lithospheric evolution of the eastern China, we suggest that the Cenozoic basalts were derived from a garnet pyroxenite-rich mantle source associated with continental crust delamination or oceanic crust subduction.

An elastic vibration model for high length-diameter ratio spinning rocket with attitude control system which can be used for trajectory simulation is established. The basic theory of elastic dynamics and vibration dynamics were both used to set up the elastic vibration model of rocket body. In order to study the problem more conveniently, the rocket's body was simplified to be an even beam with two free ends. The model was validated by simulation results and the test data.

Failure pressures and strains were predicted for a number of burst tests as part of a project to explore failure strain in high yield-to-tensile strength ratio linepipe. Twenty-three methods for predicting the burst pressure and six methods of predicting the failure strain are compared with test results. Several methods were identified which gave accurate and reliable estimates of burst pressure. No method of accurately predicting the failure strain was found, though the best was noted.

Full Text Available Improving the interface between electrodes and neurons has been the focus of research for the last decade. Neuroelectrodes should show small geometrical surface area and low impedance for measuring and high charge injection capacities for stimulation. Increasing the electrochemically active surface area by using nanoporous electrode material or by integrating nanostructures onto planar electrodes is a common approach to improve this interface. In this paper a simulation approach for neuro electrodes' characteristics with integrated high aspect ratio nano structures based on a point-contact-model is presented. The results are compared with experimental findings conducted with real nanostructured microelectrodes. In particular, effects of carbon nanotubes and gold nanowires integrated onto microelectrodes are described. Simulated and measured impedance properties are presented and its effects onto the transfer function between the neural membrane potential and the amplifier output signal are studied based on the point-contact-model. Simulations show, in good agreement with experimental results, that electrode impedances can be dramatically reduced by the integration of high aspect ratio nanostructures such as gold nanowires and carbon nanotubes. This lowers thermal noise and improves the signal-to-noise ratio for measuring electrodes. It also may increase the adhesion of cells to the substrate and thus increase measurable signal amplitudes.

The optical pickup of our Small-Form-Factor Optical Disc Drives (SFFODDs) requires a micro-objective whose profile is composed of two aspheric surfaces. However, it is difficult to fabricate a micro-objective with an arbitrary aspheric surface and high aspect ratio using conventional techniques. We propose here a new method to fabricate an aspheric micro-lens mold with high aspect ratio. This method uses the micro-loading effect in Deep Reactive Ion Etching (DRIE) and isotropic Reactive Ion Etching (RIE). The micro-loading effect is a phenomenon that leads to different etching depths depending on the aperture size of the mask layer used in etching. We fabricated an aspheric micro-lens mold for the prototype by using the proposed method after experimental evaluations of the micro-loading effect for a feasibility study. The profile of the first prototype was slightly different from the designed one according as the distance from the lens center increase. The profile error of the second prototype was reduced by using a mask that had multiple apertures with the smallest aperture located outside the area where the crater was formed. Our proposed method was found to be effective for fabricating a micro-lens mold with an arbitrary aspheric surface and high aspect ratio.

As a basic mechanical parameter, Poisson's ratio (ν) measures the mechanical responses of solids against external loads. In rare cases, materials have a negative Poisson's ratio (NPR), and present an interesting auxetic effect. That is, when a material is stretched in one direction, it will expand in the perpendicular direction. To design modern nanoscale electromechanical devices with special functions, two dimensional (2D) auxetic materials are highly desirable. In this work, based on first principles calculations, we rediscover the previously proposed δ-phosphorene (δ-P) nanosheets [Jie Guan, et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 2014, 113, 046804] which are good auxetic materials with a high NPR. The results show that the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of δ-P are all anisotropic. The NPR value along the grooved direction is up to -0.267, which is much higher than the recently reported 2D auxetic materials. The auxetic effect of δ-P originating from its puckered structure is robust and insensitive to the number of layers due to weak interlayer interactions. Moreover, δ-P possesses good flexibility because of its relatively small Young's modulus and high critical crack strain. If δ-P can be synthesized, these extraordinary properties would endow it with great potential in designing low dimensional electromechanical devices.

Heulser alloys Fe2Cr1-xCoxSi (FCCS) with different Co compositions x have been predicted to have high spin polarization. High perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) has been observed in ultra-thin FCCS films with magnetic anisotropy energy density up to 2.3 × 106 erg/cm3. The perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) using FCCS films with different Co compositions x as the bottom electrode have been fabricated and the post-annealing effects have been investigated in details. An attractive tunneling magnetoresistance ratio as high as 51.3% is achieved for p-MTJs using Fe2CrSi (FCS) as the bottom electrode. The thermal stability Δ can be as high as 70 for 40 nm dimension devices using FCS, which is high enough to endure a retention time of over 10 years. Therefore, Heusler alloy FCS is a promising PMA candidate for p-MTJ application.

A miniaturized Cassegrainian concentrator system concept was developed for low cost, multikilowatt space solar arrays. The system imposes some requirements on solar cells which are new and different from those imposed for conventional applications. The solar cells require a circular active area of approximately 4 mm in diameter. High reliability contacts are required on both front and back surfaces. The back area must be metallurgically bonded to a heat sink. The cell should be designed to achieve the highest practical efficiency at 100 AMO suns and at 80 C. The cell design must minimize losses due to nonuniform illumination intensity and nonnormal light incidence. The primary radiation concern is the omnidirectional proton environment.

We demonstrate a low pressure reactive ion etching process capable of patterning nanometer scale angled sidewalls and three dimensional structures in photoresist. At low pressure the plasma has a large dark space region where the etchant ions have very large highly-directional mean free paths. Mounting the sample entirely within this dark space allows for etching at angles relative to the cathode with minimal undercutting, resulting in high-aspect ratio nanometer scale angled features. By reversing the initial angle and performing a second etch we create three-dimensional mask profiles.

The tunable diode-laser absorption spectrometer ISOWAT for airborne measurements of the water-isotope ratios 18O/16O and D/H is described. The spectrometer uses a distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser to probe fundamental rovibrational water-absorption lines at around 2.66 μm. Very-low-noise system components along with signal averaging allow for a detection limit of 1.2 and 4.5 ‰ for measurements of 18O/16O and D/H, respectively, for a water-vapour mixing ratio of 100 ppmv and an averaging time of 60 s. This corresponds to a minimum detectable absorbance of ˜5×10-6 or ˜6.6×10-10 cm-1 when normalized to pathlength. In addition to its high sensitivity, the spectrometer is highly compact (19-inch rack at a height of 35 cm, excluding pump and calibration unit) and light weight (automated. ISOWAT will be calibrated during flight with known water-isotope ratios using a compact calibration-gas source.

Our ability to detect and probe the vertical extent of cirrus was hugely improved with the launch of the NASA-CNES CALIPSO mission in April 2006. However, our skill at retrieving the optical properties of the cirrus detected by the CALIPSO lidar is not yet commensurate with our detection abilities. As with any new observing system, CALIPSO faces challenges and uncertainties in the retrieval of the geophysical parameters from its fundamental measurements. Specifically, extinction and optical depth retrievals for elastic backscatter lidars like CALIPSO typically rely on a priori assumptions about layer-mean extinction-to-backscatter ratios (AKA lidar ratios), which can vary regionally and for which uncertainties are high. To improve CALIPSO optical properties retrievals, we show High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) measurements acquired with systems from the University of Wisconsin and NASA Langley. HSRLs can directly determine ice cloud extinction and lidar ratio by separately measuring the molecular and particulate components of the total backscattered signal, thus largely eliminating many of the uncertainties inherent in elastic backscatter retrievals. These measurements were acquired during the SEAC4RS (Huntsville, AL, USA and Singapore), and FRAPPE/DISCOVER-AQ 2014 (BAO tower near Boulder, CO, USA) field campaigns, and an intensive operations period in Hampton, VA, USA.

An experimental investigation was performed to study the propulsion airframe aeroacoustic installation effects of a separate flow jet nozzle with a Hybrid Wing Body aircraft configuration where the engine is installed above the wing. Prior understanding of the jet noise shielding effectiveness was extended to a bypass ratio ten application as a function of nozzle configuration, chevron type, axial spacing, and installation effects from additional airframe components. Chevron types included fan chevrons that are uniform circumferentially around the fan nozzle and T-fan type chevrons that are asymmetrical circumferentially. In isolated testing without a pylon, uniform chevrons compared to T-fan chevrons showed slightly more low frequency reduction offset by more high frequency increase. Phased array localization shows that at this bypass ratio chevrons still move peak jet noise source locations upstream but not to nearly the extent, as a function of frequency, as for lower bypass ratio jets. For baseline nozzles without chevrons, the basic pylon effect has been greatly reduced compared to that seen for lower bypass ratio jets. Compared to Tfan chevrons without a pylon, the combination with a standard pylon results in more high frequency noise increase and an overall higher noise level. Shielded by an airframe surface 2.17 fan diameters from nozzle to airframe trailing edge, the T-fan chevron nozzle can produce reductions in jet noise of as much as 8 dB at high frequencies and upstream angles. Noise reduction from shielding decreases with decreasing frequency and with increasing angle from the jet inlet. Beyond an angle of 130 degrees there is almost no noise reduction from shielding. Increasing chevron immersion more than what is already an aggressive design is not advantageous for noise reduction. The addition of airframe control surfaces, including vertical stabilizers and elevon deflection, showed only a small overall impact. Based on the test results, the best

Multi-molecule observations towards an increasing variety of galaxies have been showing that the relative molecular abundances are affected by the type of activity. However, these studies are biased towards bright active galaxies, which are typically in interaction. We study the molecular composition of one of the most isolated galaxies in the local Universe where the physical and chemical properties of their molecular clouds have been determined by intrinsic mechanisms. We present 3 mm broad band observations of the galaxy CIG 638, extracted from the AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. The emission of the J=1-0 transitions of CCH, HCN, HCO+, and HNC are detected. Integrated intensity ratios between these line are compared with similar observations from the literature towards active galaxies including starburst galaxies (SB), active galactic nuclei (AGN), luminous infrared galaxies (LIRG), and GMCs in M33. A significantly highratio of CCH with respect to HCN, HCO+, and HNC is found towards CIG 638 when compar...

We investigated forming of high refractive index (n), low extinction coefficient (k) of Si dielectrics in visible wavelength ranges. To decrease k, pulsed green laser annealing (GLA) with line beam of a 532-nm wavelength was applied in this study for homogeneous melting. By AFM, XRD and TEM analysis, we examined the defect reduction in various conditions during poly-crystallization. We achieved dielectric nanostructures having optical properties of n>4.2, k<0.06 at 550 nm wavelength and fine pitches down to 40 nm (aspect ratio 3:1) and 130 nm (aspect ratio 7:1) with +/-5% size accuracy. Finally, we realized optical metasurfaces for optical band filters, flat lens and beam deflectors.

We present results of the analysis of near infrared spectroscopic observations of 6 high-redshift quasars (z > 4), emphasizing the measurement of the ultraviolet FeII/MgII emission line strength in order to estimate the beginning of intense star formation in the early universe. To investigate...... the evolution of the FeII/MgII ratio over a wider range in cosmic time, we measured this ratio for composite quasar spectra which cover a redshift range of 0 4 quasars must have started already at an epoch corresponding to z_f = 6 to 9, when the age of the universe was ~0.5 Gyr (H_o = 72 km/s/Mpc, Omega_M = 0...

Three-dimensional (3D) high-aspect-ratio (HAR) microstructures for biomedical applications (e.g., microneedle, microadhesive, etc.) are microfabricated using the hybrid ultraviolet (UV) lithography in which inclined, rotational, and reverse-side UV exposure processes are combined together. The inclined and rotational UV exposure processes are intended to fabricate tapered axisymmetric HAR microstructures; the reverse-side UV exposure process is designed to sharpen the end tip of the microstructures by suppressing the UV reflection on a bottom substrate which is inevitable in conventional UV lithography. Hybrid UV lithography involves fabricating 3D HAR microstructures with an epoxy-based negative photoresist, SU-8, using our customized UV exposure system. The effects of hybrid UV lithography parameters on the geometry of the 3D HAR microstructures (aspect ratio, radius of curvature of the end tip, etc.) are measured. The dependence of the end-tip shape on SU-8 soft-baking condition is also discussed.

Full Text Available Recently, inhaled pharmaceutical aerosols have seen increased investigation in the treatment of lung cancer, where the inability to deliver adequate therapeutic drug concentrations to tumour sites may be overcome with improved targeted delivery to the site of the tumour. In this study, the feasibility of magnetically targeted delivery of high aspect ratio particles loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles was studied in 19 New Zealand White rabbits. Half of the exposed rabbits had a magnetic field placed externally over their right lung. Iron sensitive magnetic resonance images of the lungs were acquired to determine the iron concentrations in the right and left lung of each animal. The right/left ratio increased in the middle and basal regions of the lung where, due to the morphology of the rabbit lung, this method of targeting is most effective. With further optimization, this technique could be an effective method for increasing the dose of drug delivered to a specific site within the lung.

Recent observations of several planet-hosting M dwarfs show that most have FUV/NUV flux ratios 1000 times greater than that of the Sun. Here we show that the atmospheric oxygen contents (O2 and O3) of potentially habitable planets in this type of UV environment could be 2~3 orders of magnitude greater than those of their counterparts around Sun-like stars as a result of decreased photolysis of O3, H2O2, and HO2. Thus detectable levels of atmospheric oxygen, in combination with the existence of H2O and CO2, may not be the most promising biosignatures on planets around stars with high FUV/NUV ratios such as the observed M dwarfs.

In this paper we study some nonoverlapping domain decomposition methods for solving a class of elliptic problems arising from composite materials and flows in porous media which contain many spatial scales. Our preconditioner differs from traditional domain decomposition preconditioners by using a coarse solver which is adaptive to small scale heterogeneous features. While the convergence rate of traditional domain decomposition algorithms using coarse solvers based on linear or polynomial interpolations may deteriorate in the presence of rapid small scale oscillations or high aspect ratios, our preconditioner is applicable to multiplescale problems without restrictive assumptions and seems to have a convergence rate nearly independent of the aspect ratio within the substructures. A rigorous convergence analysis based on the Schwarz framework is carried out, and we demonstrate the efficiency and robustness of the proposed preconditioner through numerical experiments which include problems with multiple-scale coefficients, as well problems with continuous scales.

Laser drilling is a very versatile tool to produce high accuracy bores in small and large geometries using different technologies. In large and deep hole drilling laser drilling can be found in drilling cooling holes into turbomachinery components such as turbine blades. In micro drilling, the technology is used for the generation of nozzles and filters. However, especially in macro drilling, the process often causes microstructure changes and induces defects such as recast layers and cracks. The defects are caused by the melt dominated drilling process by using pulse durations in the range of some 100 μm up to a few ms. A solution of this problem is the use of ultrashort pulsed laser radiation with pulse durations in the range of some 100 fs up to a few ps, however with the disadvantage of long drilling times. Thus, the aim of this work is to combine the productive process by using ms pulsed fiber laser radiation with subsequent ablation of existing recast layers at the hole wall by using ultrashort pulsed laser radiation. By using fast scanning techniques the recast layer can be avoided almost completely. With a similar technology also very small hole can be produced. Using a rotating dove prism a circular oscillation of the laser spots is performed and holes are drilled at intervals in 1 mm thick stainless steel (1.4301) by ultra-short laser pulses of 7 ps at 515 nm. The formation of hole and the behavior of energy deposition differ from other drilling strategies due to the helical revolution. The temporal evolution of the hole shape is analyzed by means of SEM techniques from which three drilling phases can be distinguished.

After exposure to low density lipoprotein (LDL) that had been minimally modified by oxidation (MM-LDL), human endothelial cells (EC) and smooth muscle cells (SMC) cultured separately or together produced 2- to 3-fold more monocyte chemotactic activity than did control cells or cells exposed to freshly isolated LDL. This increase in monocyte chemotactic activity was paralleled by increases in mRNA levels for a monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) that is constitutively produced by the human ...

The NASA Ames Research Center is working to develop a methodology for the optimization and design of the high lift system for future subsonic airliners with the involvement of two partners. Aerodynamic analysis methods for two dimensional and three dimensional wing performance with flaps and slats deployed are being developed through a grant with the aeronautical department of the University of California Davis, and a flap and slat mechanism design procedure is being developed through a contract with PKCR, Inc., of Seattle, WA. This report documents the work that has been completed in the contract with PKCR on mechanism design. Flap mechanism designs have been completed for seven (7) different mechanisms with a total of twelve (12) different layouts all for a common single slotted flap configuration. The seven mechanisms are as follows: Simple Hinge, Upside Down/Upright Four Bar Linkage (two layouts), Upside Down Four Bar Linkages (three versions), Airbus A330/340 Link/Track Mechanism, Airbus A320 Link/Track Mechanism (two layouts), Boeing Link/Track Mechanism (two layouts), and Boeing 767 Hinged Beam Four Bar Linkage. In addition, a single layout has been made to investigate the growth potential from a single slotted flap to a vane/main double slotted flap using the Boeing Link/Track Mechanism. All layouts show Fowler motion and gap progression of the flap from stowed to a fully deployed position, and evaluations based on spanwise continuity, fairing size and number, complexity, reliability and maintainability and weight as well as Fowler motion and gap progression are presented. For slat design, the options have been limited to mechanisms for a shallow leading edge slat. Three (3) different layouts are presented for maximum slat angles of 20 deg, 15 deg and 1O deg all mechanized with a rack and pinion drive similar to that on the Boeing 757 airplane. Based on the work of Ljungstroem in Sweden, this type of slat design appears to shift the lift curve so that

Stable isotope ratios are reliable and long lasting process tracers. In order to compare data from different locations or different sampling times at a high level of precision, a measurement strategy must include reliable traceability to an international stable isotope scale via a reference material (RM). Since these international RMs are available in low quantities only, we have developed our own analysis schemes involving laboratory working RM. In addition, quality assurance RMs are used to control the long-term performance of the delta-value assignments. The analysis schemes allow the construction of quality assurance performance charts over years of operation. In this contribution, the performance of three typical techniques established in IsoLab at the MPI-BGC in Jena is discussed. The techniques are (1) isotope ratio mass spectrometry with an elemental analyser for delta(15)N and delta(13)C analysis of bulk (organic) material, (2) high precision delta(13)C and delta(18)O analysis of CO(2) in clean-air samples, and (3) stable isotope analysis of water samples using a high-temperature reaction with carbon. In addition, reference strategies on a laser ablation system for high spatial resolution delta(13)C analysis in tree rings is exemplified briefly.

In various applications such as neural prostheses or solar cells, there is a need to alter the surface morphology of high aspect ratio structures so that the real surface area is greater than geometrical area. The change in surface morphology enhances the devices functionality. One of the applications of altering the surface morphology is of neural implants such as the Utah electrode array (UEA) that communicate with single neurons by charge injection induced stimulation or by recording electrical neural signals. For high selectivity between single cells of the nervous system, the electrode surface area is required to be as small as possible, while the impedance is required to be as low as possible for good signal to noise ratios (SNR) during neural recording. For stimulation, high charge injection and charge transfer capacities of the electrodes are required, which increase with the electrode surface. Traditionally, researchers have worked with either increasing the roughness of the existing metallization (platinum grey, black) or other materials such as Iridium Oxide and PEDOT. All of these previously investigated methods lead to more complicated metal deposition processes that are difficult to control and often have a critical impact on the mechanical properties of the metal films. Therefore, a modification of the surface underneath the electrode's coating will increase its surface area while maintaining the standard and well controlled metal deposition process. In this work, the surfaces of the silicon micro-needles were engineered by creating a defined microstructure on the electrodes surface using several methods such as laser ablation, focused ion beam, sputter etching, reactive ion etching (RIE) and deep reactive ion etching (DRIE). The surface modification processes were optimized for the high aspect ratio silicon structures of the UEA. The increase in real surface area while maintaining the geometrical surface area was verified using scanning electron

We demonstrate a synthesis method to broaden the range of SiO2/Al2O3 ratio (30-100) of high-silica MCM-22 zeolites by prolonging the aging time of the gel before the crystallization. The synthesis conditions such as silica sources, chemical compositions of initial gel and aging time of gel were investigated in detail. High quality MCM-22products with various morphologies have been synthesized by optimize their synthesis conditions. Our results show that increasing of the aging time can make the gel be homogenization and promote their nucleus formation, which may avoid the formation of impurity phase and thus broaden the range of SiO2/Al2O3 ratio.

A suitable analysis condition was determined for high performance liquid chromatography-isotope ratio mass spectrometry (HPLC-IRMS) while making sequential measurements of stable carbon isotope ratios of {delta}{sup 13}C in formic acid, acetic acid, methanol and ethanol dissolved in water. For this online column separation method, organic reagents are not applicable due to carbon contamination; thus, water and KH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} at low concentrations were tested as mobile phase in combination with a HyPURITY AQUASTAR{sup TM} column. Formic acid, acetic acid, methanol and ethanol were separated when 2 mM KH{sub 2}PO{sub 4} aqueous solution was used. Under the determined analysis condition for HPLC-IRMS, carbon concentrations could be measured quantitatively as well as carbon isotope ratio when carbon concentration was higher than 0.4 mM L for each chemical.

We report on a functional experimental design for Bessel beam generation capable of handling high-energy ultrashort pulses (up to 1.2 mJ per pulse of 50 fs duration). This allows us to deliver intensities exceeding the breakdown threshold for air or any dielectric along controlled micro-filaments with lengths exceeding 4 mm. It represents an unprecedented upscaling in comparison to recent femtosecond Bessel beam micromachining experiments. We produce void microchannels through glass substrates to demonstrate that aspect ratios exceeding 1200∶1 can be achieved by using single high-intensity pulses. This demonstration must lead to new methodologies for deep-drilling and high-speed cutting applications.

A multifunctional NEMS platform based on a mass-producible, surface relief grating has been developed and fabricated directly in polymer materials. The pattern consists of high aspect ratio interdigitated nanometer-sized pairs of walls and can be produced in a low-complexity one-step patterning process with nanoimprint lithography. In this paper, we demonstrate the usefulness of the platform primarily by showing an application as a high-sensitivity mass sensor in air. The sensors, which are based on the high frequency resonant response of around 200 MHz, show a mass responsivity of the order of 0.1 Hz/zg per wall at room temperature and in ambient air. Their ability to selectively adsorb airborne target molecules, such as thiols, is also demonstrated. We also show that the same device can function as a varactor for electronic circuits based on its large tunable capacitive range.

A multifunctional NEMS platform based on a mass-producible, surface relief grating has been developed and fabricated directly in polymer materials. The pattern consists of high aspect ratio interdigitated nanometer-sized pairs of walls and can be produced in a low-complexity one-step patterning process with nanoimprint lithography. In this paper, we demonstrate the usefulness of the platform primarily by showing an application as a high-sensitivity mass sensor in air. The sensors, which are based on the high frequency resonant response of around 200 MHz, show a mass responsivity of the order of 0.1 Hz/zg per wall at room temperature and in ambient air. Their ability to selectively adsorb airborne target molecules, such as thiols, is also demonstrated. We also show that the same device can function as a varactor for electronic circuits based on its large tunable capacitive range.

Full Text Available Simple, traditional methods for computation of the efficiency of spur gears are based on the hypotheses of constant friction coefficient and uniform load sharing along the path of contact. However, none of them is accurate. The friction coefficient is variable along the path of contact, though average values can be often considered for preliminary calculations. Nevertheless, the nonuniform load sharing produced by the changing rigidity of the pair of teeth has significant influence on the friction losses, due to the different relative sliding at any contact point. In previous works, the authors obtained a nonuniform model of load distribution based on the minimum elastic potential criterion, which was applied to compute the efficiency of standard gears. In this work, this model of load sharing is applied to study the efficiency of both standard and high contact ratio involute spur gears (with contact ratio between 1 and 2 and greater than 2, resp.. Approximate expressions for the friction power losses and for the efficiency are presented assuming the friction coefficient to be constant along the path of contact. A study of the influence of some transmission parameters (as the gear ratio, pressure angle, etc. on the efficiency is also presented.

Z cut α-quartz wafers were etched in saturated ammonium bifluoride solution at 87 degrees C. The side wall profiles were observed using the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and plotted dependent on the polar direction. This research focused on investigating high aspect ratio trench and through-hole, which were dependent on the polar direction to the crystal axis. Aspect ratio in dependence on polar direction was also plotted and microchannels with aspect ratio > 3 could be achieved at the polar angle between 30° to 60°. The possibility of application for microcapillary was discussed, and the trench at 45° was considered best. Double-sided etching technique was used for manufacturing through-hole structures. Through-hole at 0° was demonstrated effective for fabrication of capacitive MEMS tilt sensor. Through-holes at 15° and 105° were proposed for fabrication of 90°-arranged two axis capactive tilt sensor, taking advantage of the twofold symmetry property around X axis and threefold symmetry property around Z axis.

Organic electron beam resists are typically not resistant to the plasma etching employed to transfer the pattern into the underlying layer. Here, the authors present the incorporation of a metal hard mask material into negative resist polystyrene by co-evaporation of the polystyrene and the metal onto a substrate. With a volume ratio of 1:15 between Cr and polystyrene, this nanocomposite resist showed an etching selectivity to silicon one order higher than pure polystyrene resist. Silicon structures of 100 nm width and 3.5 μm height (aspect ratio 1:35) were obtained using a non-switching deep silicon etching recipe with SF6 and C4F8 gas. Moreover, unlike the common spin coating method, evaporated nanocomposite resist can be coated onto irregular and non-flat surfaces such as optical fibers and AFM cantilevers. As a proof of concept, we fabricated high aspect ratio structures on top of an AFM cantilever. Nanofabrication on non-flat surfaces may find applications in the fields of (AFM) tip enhanced Raman spectroscopy for chemical analysis and lab-on-fiber technology.

A study of the spray of a swirl coaxial gas-liquid injector operating at high gas to liquid momentum ratios is reported. Mixing and droplet size characteristics of the swirl injector are also compared to a shear coaxial injector, currently being used in the Space Shuttle Main Engine fuel preburner. The injectors were tested at elevated chamber pressures using water as a LOX simulant and nitrogen and helium as gaseous hydrogen simulants. The elevated chamber pressure allowed for matching of several of the preburner injector conditions including; gas to liquid momentum ratio, density ratio and Mach number. Diagnostic techniques used to characterize the spray included; strobe back-light imaging, laser sheet spray imaging, mechanical patternation, and a phase Doppler interferometry. Results thus far indicate that the radial spreading of the swirl coaxial spray is much less than was reported in previous studies of swirl injectors operating at atmospheric back-pressure. The swirl coaxial spray does, however, exhibit a smaller overall droplet size which may be interpreted as an increase in local mixing.

Amorphous oxide semiconductors such as indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO) are considered favorites to serve as channel materials for thin film transistors (TFTs) because they combine high charge carrier mobility with high optical transmittance, allowing for the development of transparent electronics. Although the influence of relative cationic concentrations in determining the electronic properties have been studied in sputtered and PLD films, the development of printed transparent electronics hinges on such dependencies being explored for solution-processed systems. Here, we study solution-processed indium zinc tin oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) to investigate variation in their electrical properties with change in cationic composition. Charge transport mobility ranging from 0.3 to 20.3 cm(2)/(V s), subthreshold swing ranging from 1.2 to 8.4 V/dec, threshold voltage ranging from -50 to 5 V, and drain current on-off ratio ranging from 3 to 6 orders of magnitude were obtained by examining different compositions of the semiconductor films. Mobility was found to increase with the incorporation of large cations such as In(3+) and Sn(4+) due to the vast s-orbital overlap they can achieve when compared to the intercationic distance. Subthreshold swing decreased with an increase in Zn(2+) concentration due to reduced interfacial state formation between the semiconductor and dielectric. The optimized transistor obtained at a compositional ratio of In/Zn/Sn = 1:1:1, exhibited a high field-effect mobility of 8.62 cm(2)/(V s), subthreshold swing of 1.75 V/dec, and current on-off ratio of 10(6). Such impressive performances reaffirm the promise of amorphous metal oxide semiconductors for printed electronics.

The experimental and analytical results of a scale model simulated flight acoustic exploratory investigation of high radius ratio coannular plug nozzles with inverted velocity and temperature profiles are summarized. Six coannular plug nozzle configurations and a baseline convergent conical nozzle were tested for simulated flight acoustic evaluation. The nozzles were tested over a range of test conditions that are typical of a Variable Cycle Engine for application to advanced high speed aircraft. It was found that in simulate flight, the high radius ratio coannular plug nozzles maintain their jet noise and shock noise reduction features previously observed in static testing. The presence of nozzle bypass struts will not significantly affect the acousticn noise reduction features of a General Electric type nozzle design. A unique coannular plug nozzle flight acoustic spectral prediction method was identified and found to predict the measured results quite well. Special laser velocimeter and acoustic measurements were performed which have given new insights into the jet and shock noise reduction mechanisms of coannular plug nozzles with regard to identifying further benificial research efforts.

Over the last decades the significant grow of interest of photonics devices is observed in various fields of applications. Due to the market demands, the current research studies are focused on the technologies providing miniaturized, reliable low-cost micro-optical systems, particularly the ones featuring the fabrication of high aspect ratio structures. A high potential of these technologies comes from the fact that fabrication process is not limited to single optical components, but entire systems integrating sets of elements could be fabricated. This could in turn result in a significant saving on the assembly and packaging costs. We present a brief overview of the most common high aspect ratio fabrication technologies for micro-optical components followed by some characterization studies of these techniques. The sidewall quality and internal homogeneity will be considered as the most crucial parameters, having an impact on the wavefront propagation in the fabricated components. We show the characterization procedure and measurement results for components prototyped with Deep Proton Writing and glass micromachining technology replicated with Hot Embossing and Elastomeric Mould Vacuum Casting technology. We discuss the pros and cons for using these technologies for the production of miniaturized interferometers blocks. In this paper we present the status of our research on the new technology chain and we show the concept of microinterferometers to be fabricated within presented technology chain.

Through first-principles electron transport simulations using the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism together with density functional theory, we show that, upon H-tautomerization, a simple derivative of quinone can act as a molecular switch with high ON/OFF ratio, up to 70 at low bias voltage. This switching behavior is explained by the quantum interference effect, where the positional change of hydrogen atoms causes the energies of the transmission channels to overlap. Our results suggest that this molecule could have potential applications as an effective switching device.

This document provides derivations of the 73As, 74As and 75As isotopic abundances and ratios in an arsenic sample irradiated by high-energy (14 MeV) neutrons for 0 ≤ t ≤ T, where T is short compared to the natural decay times of the reaction products (t1/2 (73As) ~ 80.3 d, t1/2 (74As) ~ 17.8 d). The document also outlines the historic approach used to analyze arsenic data from experiments.

The paper presents a high voltage conversion ratio DC-DC step-down topology obtained from a classical buck converter associated with an input switched-capacitor cell and an output switched-inductor cell. Analytical descriptions, the voltage and current limits of the main components are synthesized...... in a comparative form, related to the classical buck structure, in order to emphasis the advantages of the proposed converter. Digital simulations and experimental results obtained with a built prototype are compared. From the first evaluation, the proposed converter is expected to be effectively used at input...

In this paper, optical bistability effect in an ultracompact plasmonic racetrack resonator with nonlinear optical Kerr medium is investigated both analytically and numerically. The properties of optical bistability and pump threshold are studied at 1.55 µm with various detuning parameters by an analytical model. The transmission switch from the upper branch to the lower branch with a pulse is also demonstrated by a finite-difference time-domain method. An extinction ratio of 97.8% and a switching time of 0.38 ps can be achieved with proper detuning parameter. Such a plasmonic resonator design provides a promising realization for highly effective optical modulators and switch.

Molecular vibrational transitions are prime candidates for model-independent searches for variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio. Searches for present-day variation achieve highest sensitivity with deep molecular potentials. We identify several high-sensitivity transitions in the deeply bound ${\\rm O}_2^+$ molecular ion. These transitions are electric-dipole forbidden and thus have narrow linewidths. The most sensitive transitions take advantage of an accidental degeneracy between vibrational states in different electronic potentials. We suggest experimentally feasible routes to a measurement with uncertainty exceeding current limits on present-day variation in $m_p/m_e$.

Molecular vibrational transitions are prime candidates for model-independent searches for variation of the proton-to-electron mass ratio. Searches for present-day variation achieve the highest sensitivity with deep molecular potentials. We identify several high-sensitivity transitions in the deeply bound O2+ molecular ion. These transitions are electric-dipole forbidden and have narrow linewidths. The most sensitive transitions take advantage of an accidental degeneracy between vibrational states in different electronic potentials. We suggest experimentally feasible routes to a measurement with uncertainty below current limits on present-day variation in mp/me .

After decades of research and more than ten years of successful production in very high volumes Silicon MEMS microphones are mature and unbeatable in form factor and robustness. Audio applications such as video, noise cancellation and speech recognition are key differentiators in smart phones. Microphones with low self-noise enable those functions. Backplate-free microphones enter the signal to noise ratios above 70dB(A). This talk will describe state of the art MEMS technology of Infineon Technologies. An outlook on future technologies such as the comb sensor microphone will be given.

The paper reports an investigation into the forging of a solid powder circular disc with large slenderness ratio (L/D) between two ﬂat dies at high speed. The deformation pattern during the operation is inﬂuenced by many factors, which interact with one another in a complex manner. The decisive factors are the interfacial conditions, initial relative density of the preform and the geometry of the preform. An attempt has been made to determine the die pressures developed during such forging, using an upper bound approach. The results so obtained are presented graphically and discussed critically to illustrate the interaction of various process parameters involved.

Context. Multi-molecule observations towards an increasing variety of galaxies have been showing that the relative molecular abundances are affected by the type of activity. However, these studies are biased towards bright active galaxies, which are typically in interaction. Aims: We study the molecular composition of one of the most isolated galaxies in the local Universe where the physical and chemical properties of their molecular clouds have been determined by intrinsic mechanisms. Methods: We present 3 mm broad band observations of the galaxy CIG 638, extracted from the AMIGA sample of isolated galaxies. The emission of the J = 1-0 transitions of CCH, HCN, HCO+, and HNC are detected. Integrated intensity ratios between these line are compared with similar observations from the literature towards active galaxies including starburst galaxies (SB), active galactic nuclei, luminous infrared galaxies (LIRG), and GMCs in M 33. Results: A significantly highratio of CCH with respect to HCN, HCO+, and HNC is found towards CIG 638 when compared with all other galaxies where these species have been detected. This points to either an overabundance of CCH or to a relative lack of dense molecular gas as supported by the low HCN/CO ratio, or both. Conclusions: The data suggest that the CIG 638 is naturally a less perturbed galaxy where a lower fraction of dense molecular gas, as well as a more even distribution could explain the measured ratios. In this scenario the dense gas tracers would be naturally dimmer, while the UV enhanced CCH, would be overproduced in a less shielded medium. Reduced IRAM data (FITS file) are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/563/L6

High-aspect-ratio ZnO nanowires and nanotubes are formed on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates using a three-step route at low temperatures. The three steps, including successive ionic layer absorption and reaction (SILAR) deposition of the ZnO seed layer, hydrothermal annealing of the seed layer, and chemical bath deposition (CBD) of the one-dimensional (1D) ZnO nanostructures, are all conducted in aqueous solutions at temperatures below 120 degrees C. Both the hydrothermal annealing of the SILAR seed layer and the low-concentration precursor solution employed in the CBD process are crucial in order to synthesize the uniform and high-aspect-ratio ZnO nanostructures on the ITO substrate. TEM analyses reveal that both the nanowire and the nanotube possess the single-crystal structure and are grown along [001] direction. Room-temperature cathodoluminescence spectrum of the 1D ZnO nanostructures shows a sharp ultraviolet emission at 375 nm and a broad green-band emission.

We investigate the star-forming properties of 1620 X-ray selected AGN host galaxies as a function of their specific X-ray luminosity (i.e., X-ray luminosity per unit host stellar mass) -- a proxy of the Eddington ratio. Our motivation is to determine whether there is any evidence of a suppression of star-formation at high Eddington ratios, which may hint toward "AGN feedback" effects. Star-formation rates (SFRs) are derived from fits to Herschel-measured far-infrared spectral energy distributions, taking into account any contamination from the AGN. Herschel-undetected AGNs are included via stacking analyses to provide average SFRs in bins of redshift and specific X-ray luminosity (spanning $0.01 \\lesssim L_{\\rm X}/M_{\\ast} \\lesssim 100~L_{\\odot} ~M_{\\odot}^{-1}$). After normalising for the effects of mass and redshift arising from the evolving galaxy main sequence, we find that the SFRs of high specific luminosity AGNs are slightly enhanced compared to their lower specific luminosity counterparts. This sugges...

In this paper, a new combined method of sub-micron high aspect ratio structure fabrication is developed which can be used for production of nano imprint template. The process includes atomic force microscope (AFM) scratch nano-machining and reactive ion etching (RIE) fabrication. First, 40 nm aluminum film was deposited on the silicon substrate by magnetron sputtering, and then sub-micron grooves were fabricated on the aluminum film by nano scratch using AFM diamond tip. As aluminum film is a good mask for etching silicon, high aspect ratio structures were finally fabricated by RIE process. The fabricated structures were studied by SEM, which shows that the grooves are about 400 nm in width and 5 microm in depth. To obtain sub-micron scale groove structures on the aluminum film, experiments of nanomachining on aluminum films under various machining conditions were conducted. The depths of the grooves fabricated using different scratch loads were also studied by the AFM. The result shows that the material properties of the film/substrate are elastic-plastic following nearly a bilinear law with isotropic strain hardening. Combined AFM nanomachining and RIE process provides a relative lower cost nano fabrication technique than traditional e-beam lithography, and it has a good prospect in nano imprint template fabrication.

The lithium-sulfur (Li-S) rechargeable battery has the benefit of high gravimetric energy density and low cost. Significant research currently focuses on increasing the sulfur loading and sulfur/inactive-materials ratio, to improve life and capacity. Inspired by nature's ant-nest structure, this research results in a novel Li-S electrode that is designed to meet both goals. With only three simple manufacturing-friendly steps, which include slurry ball-milling, doctor-blade-based laminate casting, and the use of the sacrificial method with water to dissolve away table salt, the ant-nest design has been successfully recreated in an Li-S electrode. The efficient capabilities of the ant-nest structure are adopted to facilitate fast ion transportation, sustain polysulfide dissolution, and assist efficient precipitation. High cycling stability in the Li-S batteries, for practical applications, has been achieved with up to 3 mg·cm(-2) sulfur loading. Li-S electrodes with up to a 85% sulfur ratio have also been achieved for the efficient design of this novel ant-nest structure.

Two planarization techniques for high aspect ratio three dimensional pillar structured P-I-N diodes have been developed in order to enable a continuous coating of metal on the top of the structures. The first technique allows for coating of structures with topography through the use of a planarizing photoresist followed by RIE etch back to expose the tops of the pillar structure. The second technique also utilizes photoresist, but instead allows for planarization of a structure in which the pillars are filled and coated with a conformal coating by matching the etch rate of the photoresist to the underlying layers. These techniques enable deposition using either sputtering or electron beam evaporation of metal films to allow for electrical contact to the tops of the underlying pillar structure. These processes have potential applications for many devices comprised of 3-D high aspect ratio structures. Two separate processes have been developed in order to ensure a uniform surface for deposition of an electrode on the {sup 10}Boron filled P-I-N pillar structured diodes. Each uses S1518 photoresist in order to achieve a relatively uniform surface despite the non-uniformity of the underlying detector. Both processes allow for metallization of the final structure and provide good electrical continuity over a 3D pillar structure.

In this work we modelled the diffusive transport of a dilute gas along arrays of randomly distributed, vertically aligned nanocylinders (nanotubes or nanowires) as opposed to gas diffusion in long pores, which is described by the well-known Knudsen theory. Analytical expressions for (i) the gas diffusion coefficient inside such arrays, (ii) the time between collisions of molecules with the nanocylinder walls (mean time of flight), (iii) the surface impingement rate, and (iv) the Knudsen number of such a system were rigidly derived based on a random-walk model of a molecule that undergoes memoryless, diffusive reflections from nanocylinder walls assuming the molecular regime of gas transport. It can be specifically shown that the gas diffusion coefficient inside such arrays is inversely proportional to the areal density of cylinders and their mean diameter. An example calculation of a diffusion coefficient is delivered for a system of titanium isopropoxide molecules diffusing between vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. Our findings are important for the correct modelling and optimisation of gas-based deposition techniques, such as atomic layer deposition or chemical vapour deposition, frequently used for surface functionalisation of high-aspect-ratio nanocylinder arrays in solar cells and energy storage applications. Furthermore, gas sensing devices with high-aspect-ratio nanocylinder arrays and the growth of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes need the fundamental understanding and precise modelling of gas transport to optimise such processes. PMID:28144565

Sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) have several advantages, such as a lower footprint and a higher flexibility, compared to biofilm based reactors, such as rotating biological contactors. However, the critical parameters for a fast start-up of the nitrogen removal by oxygen-limited autotrophic nitrification/denitrification (OLAND) in a SBR are not available. In this study, a low critical minimum settling velocity (0.7 m h(-1)) and a low volumetric exchange ratio (25%) were found to be essential to ensure a fast start-up, in contrast to a high critical minimum settling velocity (2 m h(-1)) and a high volumetric exchange ratio (40%) which yielded no successful start-up. To prevent nitrite accumulation, two effective actions were found to restore the microbial activity balance between aerobic and anoxic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AerAOB and AnAOB). A daily biomass washout at a critical minimum settling velocity of 5 m h(-1) removed small aggregates rich in AerAOB activity, and the inclusion of an anoxic phase enhanced the AnAOB to convert the excess nitrite. This study showed that stable physicochemical conditions were needed to obtain a competitive nitrogen removal rate of 1.1 g N L(-1) d(-1).

Full Text Available Adaptive theory predicts that mothers would be advantaged by adjusting the sex ratio of their offspring in relation to their offspring's future reproductive success. In the present study, we tested the effect of housing mice under crowded condition on the sex ratio and whether the fat content of the diet has any influence on the outcome of pregnancies. Three-week-old mice were placed on the control diet (NFD for 3 weeks. Thereafter the mice were allotted randomly to two groups of 7 cages each with 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 mice in every cage to create increasing crowding gradient and fed either NFD or high fat diet (HFD. After 4 weeks, dams were bred and outcomes of pregnancy were analyzed. The average dam body weight (DBW at conception, litter size (LS and SR were significantly higher in HFD fed dams. Further, male biased litters declined with increasing crowding in NFD group but not in HFD. The LS and SR in NFD declined significantly with increasing crowding, whereas only LS was reduced in HFD group. We conclude that female mice housed under overcrowding conditions shift offspring SR in favor of daughters in consistent with the TW hypothesis and high fat diet reduces this influence of overcrowding.

Full Text Available In the first part of the article the review of ceramic materials drilling possibilities was presented. Among the described methods special attention is paid to electrodischarge drilling. This process have especially been predicted for machining difficult-to-cut electrically conductive materials. The second part consist of the results analysis of electrodischarge microdrilling of siliconized silicon carbide. The experiment involves the impact of current amplitude, discharge voltage and pulse time on the hole depth, side gap, linear tool wear and mean drilling speed. The results shows that electrodischarge drilling is a good alternative when machining inhomogeneous ceramic materials and gives possibility to drill high aspect ratio holes with relatively high efficiency (the drilling speed >2 mm/min.

Biological experiments performed on living bacterial colonies have demonstrated the microbial capability to develop finger-like shapes and highly irregular contours, even starting from an homogeneous inoculum. In this work, we study from the continuum mechanics viewpoint the emergence of such branched morphologies in an initially circular colony expanding on the top of a Petri dish coated with agar. The bacterial colony expansion, based on either a source term, representing volumetric mitotic processes, or a nonconvective mass flux, describing chemotactic expansion, is modeled at the continuum scale. We demonstrate that the front of the colony is always linearly unstable, having similar dispersion curves to the ones characterizing branching instabilities. We also perform finite element simulations, which not only prove the emergence of branching, but also highlight dramatic differences between the two mechanisms of colony expansion in the nonlinear regime. Furthermore, the proposed combination of analytical and numerical analysis allowed studying the influence of different model parameters on the selection of specific patterns. A very good agreement has been found between the resulting simulations and the typical structures observed in biological assays. Finally, this work provides a new interpretation of the emergence of branched patterns in living aggregates, depicted as the results of a complex interplay among chemical, mechanical and size effects.

We investigate the star-forming properties of 1620 X-ray selected active galactic nuclei (AGN) host galaxies as a function of their specific X-ray luminosity (i.e. X-ray luminosity per unit host stellar mass) - a proxy of the Eddington ratio. Our motivation is to determine whether there is any evidence of a suppression of star formation at high Eddington ratios, which may hint towards `AGN feedback' effects. Star formation rates (SFRs) are derived from fits to Herschel-measured far-infrared spectral energy distributions, taking into account any contamination from the AGN. Herschel-undetected AGNs are included via stacking analyses to provide average SFRs in bins of redshift and specific X-ray luminosity (spanning 0.01 lesssim L_X/M_{ast } lesssim 100 L_{{⊙}} M_{{⊙}}^{-1}). After normalizing for the effects of mass and redshift arising from the evolving galaxy main sequence, we find that the SFRs of high specific luminosity AGNs are slightly enhanced compared to their lower specific luminosity counterparts. This suggests that the SFR distribution of AGN hosts changes with specific X-ray luminosity, a result reinforced by our finding of a significantly higher fraction of starbursting hosts among high specific luminosity AGNs compared to that of the general star-forming galaxy population (i.e. 8-10 per cent versus 3 per cent). Contrary to our original motivation, our findings suggest that high specific luminosity AGNs are more likely to reside in galaxies with enhanced levels of star formation.

In micro-swimmer suspensions locomotion necessarily generates fluid motion, and it is known that such flows can lead to collective behavior from unbiased swimming. We examine the complementary problem of how chemotaxis is affected by self-generated flows. A kinetic theory coupling run-and-tumble chemotaxis to the flows of collective swimming shows separate branches of chemotactic and hydrodynamic instabilities for isotropic suspensions, the first driving aggregation, the second producing increased orientational order in suspensions of "pushers" and maximal disorder in suspensions of "pullers". Nonlinear simulations show that hydrodynamic interactions can limit and modify chemotactically-driven aggregation dynamics. In puller suspensions the dynamics form aggregates that are mutually-repelling due to the non-trivial flows. In pusher suspensions chemotactic aggregation can lead to destabilizing flows that fragment the regions of aggregation.

Plasma etching of high aspect ratio structures in Si is an important step in manufacturing capacitors for memory devices and integrated components of microelectromechanical systems. In these applications, the goal is to etch deep features anisotropically with high etch rates and selectivities to the mask while maintaining good uniformity and reproducibility. This study investigates the etching of deep sub-half-micron diameter holes in Si using SF6/O 2 plasma. Etching experiments and plasma diagnostics are combined with modeling to gain a fundamental understanding of the etching and passivation kinetics and mechanism necessary in developing and scaling-up processes. Etching experiments are conducted in an inductively coupled plasma reactor with a planar coil. The substrate electrode is biased with a separate rf power supply to achieve independent control of the ion flux and energy. The effects of pressure, rf-bias and SF6-to-O2 ratio in the feed gas on the etch rate, selectivity and feature profile shape are studied using Si wafers patterned with 0.35 mum-diameter holes in a SiO2 mask. Visualization of profiles using scanning electron microscopy is complemented by plasma diagnostics such as mass spectrometry and actinometry. Simultaneous with experiments, reactor-scale and feature-scale models are developed to quantify the etching and passivation kinetics and identify the important kinetic parameters that affect feature profile evolution. Information from plasma diagnostics and previously published data are used to reduce the degrees of freedom in the model. Experiments are designed to directly measure kinetic parameters such as the chemical etch rate constant and the incidence angle dependence of the etching yield. Experimentally inaccessible parameters such as the sticking coefficients, etching yield and ion scattering parameters are determined through feature profile simulation. The key internal plasma parameters that affect profile evolution are the F-to-O and F

An important milestone for laser spectroscopy was achieved when isotope ratios of greenhouse gases were reported at precision levels that allow addressing research questions in environmental sciences. Real-time data with high temporal resolution at moderate cost and instrument size make the optical approach highly attractive, complementary to the well-established isotope-ratio mass-spectrometry (IRMS) method. Especially appealing, in comparison to IRMS, is the inherent specificity to structural isomers having the same molecular mass. Direct absorption in the MIR in single or dual QCL configuration has proven highly reliable for the sta-ble isotopes of CO2, N2O and CH4. The longest time series of real-time measurements is currently available for δ13C and δ18O in CO2 at the high-alpine station Jung-fraujoch. At this well-equipped site, QCL based direct absorption spectroscopy (QCLAS) measurements are ongoing since 2008 1,2. Applications of QCLAS for N2O and CH4 stable isotopes are considerably more challenging because of the lower atmospheric mixing ratios, especially for the less abundant species, such as N218O and CH3D. For high precision (mental applications illustrating the highly valuable information that isotope ratios of atmospheric trace gases can carry. For example, the intramolecular distribution of 15N in N2O gives important information on the geochemical cycle of N2O4-6, while the analysis of δ13C and δ D in CH4 may be applied to disentangle microbial, fossil and landfill sources 7. 1 Sturm, P., Tuzson, B., Henne, S. & Emmenegger, L. Tracking isotopic signatures of CO2 at the high altitude site Jungfraujoch with laser spectroscopy: Analytical improvements and representative re-sults. Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 6, 1659-1671 (2013). 2 Tuzson, B. et al. Continuous isotopic composition measurements of tropospheric CO2 at Jungfraujoch (3580 m a.s.l.), Switzerland: real-time observation of regional pollution events. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics

Heulser alloys Fe{sub 2}Cr{sub 1−x}Co{sub x}Si (FCCS) with different Co compositions x have been predicted to have high spin polarization. High perpendicular magnetic anisotropy (PMA) has been observed in ultra-thin FCCS films with magnetic anisotropy energy density up to 2.3 × 10{sup 6 }erg/cm{sup 3}. The perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) using FCCS films with different Co compositions x as the bottom electrode have been fabricated and the post-annealing effects have been investigated in details. An attractive tunneling magnetoresistance ratio as high as 51.3% is achieved for p-MTJs using Fe{sub 2}CrSi (FCS) as the bottom electrode. The thermal stability Δ can be as high as 70 for 40 nm dimension devices using FCS, which is high enough to endure a retention time of over 10 years. Therefore, Heusler alloy FCS is a promising PMA candidate for p-MTJ application.

Hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) films were prepared on inner surface of 100-μm-width microchannel by using a bipolar-type plasma based ion implantation and deposition. The microchannel was fabricated using a silicon plate, and two kinds of microchannels were prepared, namely, with a bottom layer (open at one end) and without a bottom layer (open at both ends). The distribution of thickness and hardness of films was evaluated by SEM and nanoindentation measurements, respectively, and the microstructures of films were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the behavior of ions and radicals was analyzed simultaneously by combining the calculation methods of Particle-In-Cell/Monte Carlo Collision and Direct Simulation Monte Carlo to investigate the coating mechanism for the microchannel. It was found that the film thickness decreased as the depth of the coating position increased in the microchannels where it is open at one end. The uniformity of the film thickness improved by increasing the negative pulse voltage because ions can arrive at the deeper part of the microchannel. In addition, the hardness increased as the depth of the coating position increased. This is because the radicals do not arrive at the deeper part of the microchannel, and the incident proportion of ions relative to that of radicals increases, resulting in a high hardness due to the amorphization of the film. The opening area of the microchannel where the aspect ratio is very small, radicals dominate the incident flux, whereas ions prevail over radicals above an aspect ratio of about 7.5. On the other hand, in the microchannels that are open at both ends, there were great improvements in uniformity of the film thickness, hardness, and the film structure. The a-C:H films were successfully deposited on the entire inner surface of a microchannel with an aspect ratio of 20.

Invariance under the charge, parity, time-reversal (CPT) transformation is one of the fundamental symmetries of the standard model of particle physics. This CPT invariance implies that the fundamental properties of antiparticles and their matter-conjugates are identical, apart from signs. There is a deep link between CPT invariance and Lorentz symmetry--that is, the laws of nature seem to be invariant under the symmetry transformation of spacetime--although it is model dependent. A number of high-precision CPT and Lorentz invariance tests--using a co-magnetometer, a torsion pendulum and a maser, among others--have been performed, but only a few direct high-precision CPT tests that compare the fundamental properties of matter and antimatter are available. Here we report high-precision cyclotron frequency comparisons of a single antiproton and a negatively charged hydrogen ion (H-) carried out in a Penning trap system. From 13,000 frequency measurements we compare the charge-to-mass ratio for the antiproton to that for the proton and obtain . The measurements were performed at cyclotron frequencies of 29.6 megahertz, so our result shows that the CPT theorem holds at the atto-electronvolt scale. Our precision of 69 parts per trillion exceeds the energy resolution of previous antiproton-to-proton mass comparisons as well as the respective figure of merit of the standard model extension by a factor of four. In addition, we give a limit on sidereal variations in the measured ratio of <720 parts per trillion. By following the arguments of ref. 11, our result can be interpreted as a stringent test of the weak equivalence principle of general relativity using baryonic antimatter, and it sets a new limit on the gravitational anomaly parameter of < 8.7 × 10-7.

Molecular electronics aims to miniaturize electronic devices by using subnanometre-scale active components. A single-molecule diode, a circuit element that directs current flow, was first proposed more than 40 years ago and consisted of an asymmetric molecule comprising a donor-bridge-acceptor architecture to mimic a semiconductor p-n junction. Several single-molecule diodes have since been realized in junctions featuring asymmetric molecular backbones, molecule-electrode linkers or electrode materials. Despite these advances, molecular diodes have had limited potential for applications due to their low conductance, low rectification ratios, extreme sensitivity to the junction structure and high operating voltages. Here, we demonstrate a powerful approach to induce current rectification in symmetric single-molecule junctions using two electrodes of the same metal, but breaking symmetry by exposing considerably different electrode areas to an ionic solution. This allows us to control the junction's electrostatic environment in an asymmetric fashion by simply changing the bias polarity. With this method, we reliably and reproducibly achieve rectification ratios in excess of 200 at voltages as low as 370 mV using a symmetric oligomer of thiophene-1,1-dioxide. By taking advantage of the changes in the junction environment induced by the presence of an ionic solution, this method provides a general route for tuning nonlinear nanoscale device phenomena, which could potentially be applied in systems beyond single-molecule junctions.

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a novel simple biomarker of inflammation. It has emerged as a predictor of poor prognosis in cancer and cardiovascular disease in general population. But little was known of its prognostic value in chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Here we investigated the association between NLR and cardiovascular risk markers, including increased pulse pressure (PP), left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and intima-media thickness (IMT), and mortality in HD patients. Two hundred and sixty-eight HD patients were enrolled in this study and were followed for 36 months. The primary end point was all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality. Multivariable Cox regression was used to calculate the adjusted hazard ratios for NLR on all-cause and cardiovascular survival. We pinpointed that higher NLR in HD patients was a predictor of increased PP, LVMI, and IMT; HD patients with higher NLR had a lower survival at the end of the study; furthermore, high NLR was an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality when adjusted for other risk factors. In conclusion, higher NLR in HD patients was associated with cardiovascular risk factors and mortality.

Corn starch has become a common adjunct for beer brewing in Chinese breweries. However, with increasing ratio of corn starch, problems like poor wort filtration performance arise, which will decrease production capacity of breweries. To solve this problem, factors affecting wort filtration were evaluated, such as the size of corn starch particle, special yellow floats formed during liquefaction of corn starch, and residual substance after liquefaction. The effects of different enzyme preparations including β-amylase and β-glucanase on filtration rate were also evaluated. The results indicate that the emerging yellow floats do not severely block filtration, while the fine and uniform-shape corn starch particle and its incompletely hydrolyzed residue after liquefaction are responsible for filtration blocking. Application of β-amylase preparation increased the filtration rate of liquefied corn starch. This study is useful for our insight into the filtration blocking problem arising in the process of high-adjunct-ratio beer brewing and also provides a feasible solution using enzyme preparations.

Etching in semiconductor processing typically involves using halides because of the relatively fast rates. Bromine containing plasmas can generate high aspect ratio trenches, desirable for DRAM and MEMS applications, with relatively straight sidewalk We present scanning electron microscope images for silicon-etched trenches in a HBr plasma. Using a feature profile simulation, we show that the removal yield parameter, or number of neutrals removed per incident ion due to all processes (sputtering, spontaneous desorption, etc.), dictates the profile shape. We find that the profile becomes pinched off when the removal yield is a constant, with a maximum aspect ratio (AR) of about 5 to 1 (depth to height). When the removal yield decreases with increasing ion angle, the etch rate increases at the comers and the trench bottom broadens. The profiles have ARs of over 9:1 for yields that vary with ion angle. To match the experimentally observed etched time of 250 s for an AR of 9:1 with a trench width of 0.135 microns, we find that the neutral flux must be 3.336 x 10(exp 17)sq cm/s.

The majority of coral geochemistry-based paleoclimate reconstructions in the Indo-Pacific are conducted on selectively cored colonies of massive Porites. This restriction to a single genus may make it difficult to amass the required paleoclimate data for studies that require deep reef coring techniques. Acropora, however, is a highly abundant coral genus in both modern and fossil reef systems and displays potential as a novel climate archive. Here we present a calibration study for Sr/Ca ratios recovered from interbranch skeleton in corymbose Acropora colonies from Heron Reef, southern Great Barrier Reef. Significant intercolony differences in absolute Sr/Ca ratios were normalized by producing anomaly plots of both coral geochemistry and instrumental water temperature records. Weighted linear regression of these anomalies from the lagoon and fore-reef slope provide a sensitivity of -0.05 mmol/mol °C-1, with a correlation coefficient (r2 = 0.65) comparable to those of genera currently used in paleoclimate reconstructions. Reconstructions of lagoon and reef slope mean seasonality in water temperature accurately identify the greater seasonal amplitude observed in the lagoon of Heron Reef. A longer calibration period is, however, required for reliable reconstructions of annual mean water temperatures.

Several issues associated with plasma etching of high aspect ratio structures originate from the ions' bombardment of the sidewalls of the feature. The off normal angle incident ions are primarily due to their temperature at the sheath edge and possibly to charging effects. We have measured the ion velocity distribution function (IVDF) at the wafer surface in an industrial inductively coupled plasma reactor by using multigrid retarding field analyzers (RFA) in front of which we place 400 μm thick capillary plates with holes of 25, 50, and 100 μm diameters. The RFA then probes IVDF at the exit of the holes with Aspect Ratios (AR) of 16, 8, and 4, respectively. The results show that the ion flux dramatically drops with the increase in AR. By comparing the measured IVDF with an analytical model, we concluded that the ion temperature is 0.27 eV in our plasma conditions. The charging effects are also observed and are shown to significantly reduce the ion energy at the bottom of the feature but only with a “minor” effect on the ion flux and the shape of the IVDF.

A color-gradient lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is proposed to simulate axisymmetric multicomponent flows. This method uses a collision operator that is a combination of three separate parts, namely single-component collision operator, perturbation operator, and recoloring operator. A source term is added into the single-component collision operator such that in each single-component region the axisymmetric continuity and momentum equations can be exactly recovered. The interfacial tension effect is realized by the perturbation operator, in which an interfacial force of axisymmetric form is derived using the concept of continuum surface force. A recoloring operator proposed by Latva-Kokko and Rothman is extended to the axisymmetric case for phase segregation and maintenance of the interface. To enhance the method's numerical stability for handling binary fluids with high viscosity ratio, a multiple-relaxation-time model is used for the collision operator. Several numerical examples, including static droplet test, oscillation of a viscous droplet, and breakup of a liquid thread, are presented to test the capability and accuracy of the proposed color-gradient LBM. It is found that the present method is able to accurately capture the phase interface and produce low spurious velocities. Also, the LBM results are all in good agreement with the analytical solutions and/or available experimental data for a very broad range of viscosity ratios.

Chemical equilibrium calculations were performed to study the condensation chemistry of the REE and actinides under the highly reducing conditions which are necessary for the formation of the enstatite chondrites. Our calculations confirm that the REE and actinides condensed into oldhamite (CaS), the major REE and actinide host phase in enstatite chondrites, at a carbon-oxygen (C/O) ratio not less than 1 in an otherwise solar gas. Five basic types of REE abundance patterns, several of which are analogous to REE abundance patterns observed in the Ca, Al-rich inclusions in carbonaceous chondrites, are predicted to occur in meteoritic oldhamites. All of the reported REE patterns in oldhamites in enstatite chondrites can be interpreted in terms of our condensation calculations. The observed patterns fall into three of the five predicted categories. The reported Th and U enrichments and ratios in meteoritic oldhamites are also consistent with predictions of the condensation calculations. Pure REE sulfides are predicted to condense in the 10 exp -6 to 10 exp -9 bar range and may be found in enstatite chondrites if they formed in this pressure range.

This paper presents a rapid, ultra-low-cost approach to fabricate microfluidic devices using a polyolefin shrink film and a digital craft cutter. The shrinking process (with a 95% reduction in area) results in relatively uniform and consistent microfluidic channels with smooth surfaces, vertical sidewalls, and high aspect ratio channels with lateral resolutions well beyond the tool used to cut them. The thermal bonding of the layers results in strongly bonded devices. Complex microfluidic designs are easily designed on the fly and protein assays are also readily integrated into the device. Full device characterization including channel consistency, optical properties, and bonding strength are assessed in this technical note.

A chemotactic factor for neoplastic cells can be generated in vitro by incubating human C5 or C5a with leukocytic or pancreatic lysosomal enzymes and is also detectable in experimental inflammatory exudates. The authors therefore sought evidence for the existence of this factor in human effusions. Using the Boyden chamber assay, they detected chemotactic activity for MB-MDA-231 human breast carcinoma cells and Walker ascites tumor cells in human inflammatory and neoplastic exudates, including ascites, pleural effusions, synovial fluids and cerebrospinal fluids. Chemotactic activity was not found in transudates, normal cerebrospinal fluid, or normal serum. Human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells from one of the effusions migrated toward autologous ascites and towards the C5-derived chemotactic factor that had been prepared in vitro. In gel filtration the chemotactic factor behaved generally as a molecule having a molecular weight of approximately 6000 daltons. The activity was blocked after incubation with antiserums directed against C5 but not by antiserums directed against C3 or C4. In vitro, chemotactic activity for tumor cells could be generated by incubating extracts of exudate cells with autologous plasma or with purified C5. The authors conclude that a chemotactic factor for tumor cells can be formed in human effusions and that this factor has properties similar to those of a previously described C5-derived chemotactic factor. PMID:6185003

Full Text Available A theoretical nonlinear aeroelastic response analysis for a flexible high-aspect ratio wing excited by harmonic gust load is presented along with a companion wind tunnel test. A multidisciplinary coupled numerical calculation is developed to simulate the flexible model wing undergoing gust load in the time domain via discrete nonlinear finite element structural dynamic analysis and nonplanar unsteady vortex lattice aerodynamic computation. A dynamic perturbation analysis about a nonlinear static equilibrium is also used to determine the small perturbation flutter boundary. A novel noncontact 3-D camera measurement analysis system is firstly used in the wind tunnel test to obtain the spatial large deformation and responses. The responses of the flexible wing under different static equilibrium states and frequency gust loads are discussed. The fair to good quantitative agreements between the theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the presented analysis method is an acceptable way to predict the geometrically nonlinear gust response for flexible wings.

Endurance of two titanium alloys, OT4 type ..cap alpha..-alloy and VT6 martensite class, (..cap alpha..+..beta..)-alloy was studied under symmetric and asymmetric tension-compression at 10 kHz frequency and room temperature using a magnetostriction resonance device. The tests were carried out in the air without water cooling usual in high-frequency tests, since a very low hysteresis dissipation of energy was observed under cyclic loading near the fatigue limit of these titanium alloys. Fatigue curves are obtained on the basis of 10/sup 9/ cycles. The ratio is found for the endurance limit based on 10/sup 7/ and 10/sup 8/ cycles to the ultimate strength under symmetric loading. An equation is given which satisfactorily describes limiting amplitude diagrams, and its coefficients are analyzed.

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule performance can be negatively impacted by the presence of hydrodynamic instabilities. To perform a gas fill on an ICF capsule current plans involve drilling a small hole and inserting a fill tube to inject the gas mixture into the capsule. This introduces a perturbation on the capsule, which can seed hydrodynamic instabilities. The small hole can cause jetting of the shell material into the gas, which might adversely affect the capsule performance. We have performed simulations and experiments to study the hydrodynamic evolution of jets from high-aspect ratio holes, such as the fill tube hole. Although simulations using cold materials over predict the amount of mass in the jet, when a reasonable amount of preheat (< 1 eV) is introduced, the simulations are in better agreement with the experiment.

Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) capsule performance can be negatively impacted by the presence of hydrodynamic instabilities. To perform a gas fill on an ICF capsule, current plans involve drilling a small hole and inserting a fill tube to inject the gas mixture into the capsule. This introduces a perturbation on the capsule, which can seed hydrodynamic instabilities. The small hole can cause jetting of the shell material into the gas, which might adversely affect the capsule performance. We have performed simulations and experiments to study the hydrodynamic evolution of jets from high-aspect ratio holes, such as the fill tube hole. Although simulations using cold materials overpredict the amount of mass in the jet, when a reasonable amount of preheat (<1 eV) is introduced, the simulations are in better agreement with the experiment.

Acquiring a portable high density charged particles trap might consist of an array of micro-Penning-Malmberg traps (microtraps) with substantially lower end barriers potential than conventional Penning-Malmberg traps [1]. We report on the progress of the fabrication of these microtraps designed for antimatter storage such as positrons. The fabrication of large length to radius aspect ratio (1000:1) microtrap arrays involved advanced techniques including photolithography, deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) of silicon wafers to achieve through-vias, gold sputtering of the wafers on the surfaces and inside the vias, and thermal compression bonding of the wafers. This paper describes the encountered issues during fabrication and addresses geometry errors and asymmetries. In order to minimize the patch effects on the lifetime of the trapped positrons, the bonded stacks were gold electroplated to achieve a uniform gold surface. We show by simulation and analytical calculation that how positrons confinement time depen...

This paper reviews the long-term follow-up of esotropia with a high AC/A ratio defined as an increase of 20 delta or more of the esotropia at near compared with distance with the full optical correction of any refractive error in place. Ninety-nine patients were studied for an average follow-up of eight years. Eighty-six achieved fusion but only five achieved central fusion. Forty-five were treated with bifocals. No significant difference in the sensory results were recorded in those patients wearing bifocals compared with those who did not wear bifocals. No patient had miotic therapy for more than a few months. The suppression characteristic of this condition is reviewed.

Interactions between DNA and ruthenium organometallic compounds are studied by using visible light absorption and circular dichroism measurements. A titration technique allowing for the absolute determination of the advancement degree of the complexation, without any assumption about the number of complexation modes is developed. When DNA is in excess, complexation involves intercalation of one of the organometallic compound ligands between DNA base pairs. But, in the high complexation ratio limit, where organometallic compounds are in excess relative to the DNA base pairs, a new mode of interaction is observed, in which the organometallic compound interacts weakly with DNA. The weak interaction mode, moreover, develops when all the DNA intercalation sites are occupied. A regime is reached in which one DNA base pair is linked to more than one organometallic compound.

The development of nanometric Coulter counters for nanoparticle detection is an attractive and promising field of research. In this work, we have studied the influence of the nanopore surface state on charged polymer nanoparticle translocations. To make this, the translocation of carboxylate modified polystyrene microspheres (diameter 40, 70 and 100 nm) has been investigated through two kinds of high aspect ratio nanopores (negative and uncharged). The latter were tailored by a single track-etched and atomic layer deposition technique. It was shown that the mobility and the energy barrier are strongly dependent on nanopore surface charge. Typically if the latter exhibits negative surface charge, the microsphere mobility increases and the global energy barrier of entrance inside the nanopore decreases with its diameter, converse to the uncharged nanopore.

We present numerical and theoretical results concerning the technologically important process of evolution of high-aspect-ratio profiles due to surface diffusion under thermal treatment. We show how a broad class of initial gratings adopt, after a short transient stage, a typical shape that can be accurately described as a curve whose curvature has only two single Fourier modes as a function of the arc-length parameter. Moreover, we introduce a set of evolution equations for the relevant parameters that accounts very accurately for both morphological and kinetic aspects of the transformation processes for these curves in a wide region in parameter space. Regarding the decay of rectangular gratings, our numerical results show the existence of geometrically related classes that asymptotically approach to the same trajectory in parameter space. Gratings belonging to the same class pass through the same sequence of morphologies before reaching the final equilibrium state.

For the strong coupling among the channels of bank-to-turn (BTT) missile with high-aspect-ratio wing,an autopilot is designed with a two loop control structure robust autopilot design methods.By the inner loop design,the question of pole-zero cancellation is solved,and the stabilization of structured uncertainty is achieved.Through the outer loop of H∞ controller design,the flying performance and robustness can be guaranteed.The nonlinear simulation results show that the autopilot designed has perfect time domain response,and can suppress bad influence of the inertial and kinematics couplings.It can make the missile fly stably in the large flying areas.The control is very effective.

The experimental issue of the search for new particles of unknown mass poses the challenge of exploring a wide interval to look for the usual signatures represented by excess of events above the background. A side effect of such a broad range quest is that the significance calculations valid for signals of known location are no more applicable when such an information is missing. This circumstance is commonly termed in high energy physics applications as the look elsewhere effect. How it concretely manifests in a specific problem of signal search depends upon the particular strategy adopted to unravel the sought-after signal from the underlying background. In this respect an increasingly popular method is the profile likelihood ratio, especially because of its asymptotic behavior dictated by one of the most famous statistic result, the Wilks' theorem. This work is centered on the description of the look elsewhere effect in the framework of the profile likelihood methodology, in particular proposing a conjectu...

We report on the thermoelectric properties of large-area high-aspect-ratio nanostructures. We fabricate the structures by atomic layer deposition of conformal ZnO thin films on track-etched polycarbonate substrate. The resulting structure consists of ZnO tubules which continue through the full thickness of the substrate. The electrical and thermal properties of the structures are studied both in-plane and out-of-plane. They exhibit very low out-of-plane thermal conductivity down to 0.15 W m-1 K-1 while the in-plane sheet resistance of the films was found to be half that of the same film on glass substrate, allowing material-independent doubling of output power of any planar thin-film thermoelectric generator. The wall thickness of the fabricated nanotubes was varied within a range of up to 100 nm. The samples show polycrystalline nature with (002) preferred crystal orientation.

This article aims to identify risk factors for postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) and evaluate the gastric/pancreatic amylase ratio (GPAR) on postoperative day (POD) 3 as a POPF predictor in patients who undergo pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD).POPF significantly contributes to mortality and morbidity in patients who undergo PD. Previously identified predictors for POPF often have low predictive accuracy. Therefore, accurate POPF predictors are needed.In this prospective cohort study, we measured the clinical and biochemical factors of 61 patients who underwent PD and diagnosed POPF according to the definition of the International Study Group of Pancreatic Fistula. We analyzed the association between POPF and various factors, identified POPF risk factors, and evaluated the predictive power of the GPAR on POD3 and the levels of serum and ascites amylase.Of the 61 patients, 21 developed POPF. The color of the pancreatic drain fluid, POD1 serum, POD1 median output of pancreatic drain fluid volume, and GPAR were significantly associated with POPF. The color of the pancreatic drain fluid and high GPAR were independent risk factors. Although serum and ascites amylase did not predict POPF accurately, the cutoff value was 1.24, and GPAR predicted POPF with high sensitivity and specificity.This is the first report demonstrating that high GPAR on POD3 is a risk factor for POPF and showing that GPAR is a more accurate predictor of POPF than the previously reported amylase markers.

A Scanning Helium Ion Microscope (SHIM) is a high resolution surface observation instrument similar to a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) since both instruments employ finely focused particle beams of ions or electrons [1]. The apparent difference is that SHIMs can be used not only for a sub-nanometer scale resolution microscopic research, but also for the applications of very fine fabrication and direct lithography of surfaces at the nanoscale dimensions. On the other hand, atomic force microscope (AFM) is another type of high resolution microscopy which can measure a three-dimensional surface morphology by tracing a fine probe with a sharp tip apex on a specimen's surface.In order to measure highly uneven and concavo-convex surfaces by AFM, the probe of a high aspect ratio with a sharp tip is much more necessary than the probe of a general quadrangular pyramid shape. In this paper we report the manufacture of the probe tip of the high aspect ratio by ion-beam induced gas deposition using a nanoscale helium ion beam of SHIM.Gas of platinum organic compound was injected into the sample surface neighborhood in the vacuum chamber of SHIM. The decomposition of the gas and the precipitation of the involved metal brought up a platinum nano-object in a pillar shape on the normal commercial AFM probe tip. A SHIM system (Carl Zeiss, Orion Plus) equipped with the gas injection system (OmniProbe, OmniGIS) was used for the research. While the vacuum being kept to work, we injected platinum organic compound ((CH3)3(CH3C5H4)Pt) into the sample neighborhood and irradiated the helium ion beam with the shape of a point on the apex of the AFM probe tip. It is found that we can control the length of the Pt nano-pillar by irradiation time of the helium ion beam. The AFM probe which brought up a Pt nano-pillar is shown in Figure 1. It is revealed that a high-aspect-ratio Pt nano-pillar of ∼40nm diameter and up to ∼2000 nm length can be grown. In addition, for possible heating

It has been suggested in the literature that the (Fe/alpha) abundance ratio may be used as a chronometer, due to a delay in this ratio reaching its solar value as predicted by galactic chemical evolution models. Using grids of photoionization models along a sequence of the (Fe/Mg) abundance ratio vs.\\ metallicity with time in a giant elliptical starburst scenario, we investigate the relationship between the (Fe/Mg) abundance ratio and the FeII/MgII emission line flux ratio under the assumption that these lines originate in photoionized clouds within the broad emission line regions of quasars.

This paper details, assesses and validates a technique for the replication of a titanium wind tunnel test aerofoil in polyurethane resin. Existing resin replication techniques are adapted to overcome the technical difficulties associated with casting a high aspect ratio component. The technique is shown to have high replication fidelity over all important length-scales. The blade chord was accurate to 0.02%, and the maximum blade thickness was accurate to 2.5%. Important spatial and amplitude areal surface texture parameter were accurate to within 2%. Compared to an existing similar system using correlation areal parameters the current technique is shown to have lower fidelity and this difference is discussed. The current technique was developed for the measurement of boundary layer flow ‘laminar to turbulent’ transition for gas turbine compressor blade profiles and this application is illustrated.

Despite many efforts to fabricate high-aspect-ratio atomic force microscopy (HAR-AFM) probes for high-fidelity, high-resolution topographical imaging of three-dimensional (3D) nanostructured surfaces, current HAR probes still suffer from unsatisfactory performance, low wear-resistivity, and extravagant prices. The primary objective of this work is to demonstrate a novel design of a high-resolution (HR) HAR AFM probe, which is fabricated through a reliable, cost-efficient benchtop process to precisely implant a single ultrasharp metallic nanowire on a standard AFM cantilever probe. The force-displacement curve indicated that the HAR-HR probe is robust against buckling and bending up to 150 nN. The probes were tested on polymer trenches, showing a much better image fidelity when compared with standard silicon tips. The lateral resolution, when scanning a rough metal thin film and single-walled carbon nanotubes (SW-CNTs), was found to be better than 8 nm. Finally, stable imaging quality in tapping mode was demonstrated for at least 15 continuous scans indicating high resistance to wear. These results demonstrate a reliable benchtop fabrication technique toward metallic HAR-HR AFM probes with performance parallel or exceeding that of commercial HAR probes, yet at a fraction of their cost.

Full Text Available Very-High-Resolution (VHR satellite imagery is a powerful source of data for detecting and extracting information about urban constructions. Shadow in the VHR satellite imageries provides vital information on urban construction forms, illumination direction, and the spatial distribution of the objects that can help to further understanding of the built environment. However, to extract shadows, the automated detection of shadows from images must be accurate. This paper reviews current automatic approaches that have been used for shadow detection from VHR satellite images and comprises two main parts. In the first part, shadow concepts are presented in terms of shadow appearance in the VHR satellite imageries, current shadow detection methods, and the usefulness of shadow detection in urban environments. In the second part, we adopted two approaches which are considered current state-of-the-art shadow detection, and segmentation algorithms using WorldView-3 and Quickbird images. In the first approach, the ratios between the NIR and visible bands were computed on a pixel-by-pixel basis, which allows for disambiguation between shadows and dark objects. To obtain an accurate shadow candidate map, we further refine the shadow map after applying the ratio algorithm on the Quickbird image. The second selected approach is the GrabCut segmentation approach for examining its performance in detecting the shadow regions of urban objects using the true colour image from WorldView-3. Further refinement was applied to attain a segmented shadow map. Although the detection of shadow regions is a very difficult task when they are derived from a VHR satellite image that comprises a visible spectrum range (RGB true colour, the results demonstrate that the detection of shadow regions in the WorldView-3 image is a reasonable separation from other objects by applying the GrabCut algorithm. In addition, the derived shadow map from the Quickbird image indicates

Design denotes the transformation of an identified need to its physical embodiment in a traditionally iterative approach of trial and error. Conceptual design plays a prominent role but an almost infinite number of possible solutions at the outset of design necessitates fast evaluations. The corresponding practice of empirical equations and low fidelity analyses becomes obsolete in the light of novel concepts. Ever increasing system complexity and resource scarcity mandate new approaches to adequately capture system characteristics. Contemporary concerns in atmospheric science and homeland security created an operational need for unconventional configurations. Unmanned long endurance flight at high altitudes offers a unique showcase for the exploration of new design spaces and the incidental deficit of conceptual modeling and simulation capabilities. Structural and aerodynamic performance requirements necessitate light weight materials and high aspect ratio wings resulting in distinct structural and aeroelastic response characteristics that stand in close correlation with natural vibration modes. The present research effort evolves around the development of an efficient and accurate optimization algorithm for high aspect ratio wings subject to natural frequency constraints. Foundational corner stones are beam dimensional reduction and modal perturbation redesign. Local and global analyses inherent to the former suggest corresponding levels of local and global optimization. The present approach departs from this suggestion. It introduces local level surrogate models to capacitate a methodology that consists of multi level analyses feeding into a single level optimization. The innovative heart of the new algorithm originates in small perturbation theory. A sequence of small perturbation solutions allows the optimizer to make incremental movements within the design space. It enables a directed search that is free of costly gradients. System matrices are decomposed

We synthesized high aspect ratio composites with biological and metal components. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) revealed linear morphology and smooth surface texture. SEM, TEM and light microscopy showed that composites have scalable dimensions from nano- to micro-, with diameters as low as 60 nm, lengths exceeding 150 pm, and average aspect ratio of 100. The structures are stable, remaining intact for over one year in dried form and in liquid, and did not aggregate, in contrast to metal nanoparticles such as iron and copper. Many metal nanoparticles are toxic to cells, limiting their use for biological applications. The bio-metallic composites characterized here showed lower toxicity compared to their precursor metal nanoparticles in brain tumor cell cultures. Due to these more biocompatible properties, we tested the ability of the composites to interact with cells. Zeta potential analysis indicated that composites carry a net negative charge (-24.3 ± 2.2 mV), while the starting metal nanoparticles measured (43.3 ± 2.4 mV). We labeled the composites with poly-l-lysine fluorescein isothiocyanate (PLL-FITC), which shifted the potential to 3.5 ± 2.9 mV. It was observed by fluorescence microscopy that composites smaller than cells were internalized by some cells and larger composites remained outside. Cells became fluorescent over time due to leakage of PLL-FITC from the composites which lost fluorescence over time. Higher biocompatibility, low aggregation, and ability to control size distribution of the linear composites may make them ideal vehicles to deliver drugs or other materials to cells, and may be used as a scaffolding material for cells.

Full Text Available BackgroundDiagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA begins with aldosterone-to-renin ratio (ARR measurement followed by confirmative tests. However, the ARR has high false positive rates which led to unnecessary confirmatory tests. Captopril challenge test (CCT has been used as one of confirmatory tests, but the accuracy of it in the diagnosis of PA is still controversial. We aimed to examine the clinical efficacy of CCT as a post-screening test in PA.MethodsIn a prospective study, we enrolled subjects with suspected PA who had hypertension and ARR >20 (ng/dL/(ng/mL/hr. Sixty-four patients who underwent both the saline infusion test and the CCT were included.ResultsThe diagnostic performance of plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC post-CCT was greater than that of ARR post-CCT and ARR pre-CCT in PA (area under the curve=0.956, 0.797, and 0.748, respectively; P=0.001. A cut-off value of 13 ng/dL showed the highest diagnostic odds ratio considering PAC post-CCT at 60 and 90 minutes. A PAC post-CCT of 19 ng/dL had a specificity of 100%, which can be used as a cut-off value for the confirmative test. Determining the diagnostic performance of PAC post-CCT at 90 minutes was sufficient for PA diagnosis. Subjects with PAC post-CCT at 90 minutes <13 ng/dL are less likely to have PA, and those with PAC post-CCT at 90 minutes ≥13 but <19 ng/dL should undergo secondary confirmatory tests.ConclusionThe CCT test may be a reliable post-screening test to avoid the hospitalization in the setting of falsely elevated ARR screening tests.

The photoablation properties of two soluble polyimides DMDB/6FDA and OT/6FDA with thicknesses of over 300 µm, synthesized by the polycondensation of a hexafluoropropyl group contained in a dianhydride with two kinds of diamines, are investigated using a 248 nm krypton fluoride (KrF) laser. The incorporation of the hexafluoropropyl group into the chemical structure gives these two polyimides higher etching rates than Kapton (a commercial polyimide film which is difficult to dissolve). The etching rates of synthesized polyimides are about 0.1-0.5 µm/pulse over a fluence range of 0.25-2.25 J cm-2. The photothermal mechanism for DMDB/6FDA contributes about 19% of etching depth at a laser fluence of 0.82 J cm-2. Moreover, the number of laser pulses seriously affects the taper angle of microstructures, especially at low fluence. Near-vertical side-wall structures can be built at high fluence (~2 J cm-2). Fresnel patterns with a thickness of 300 µm and a linewidth of 10 µm were fabricated, with an attainable aspect ratio of around 30. After photoablation, the complementary metallic microstructures were also fabricated by a sequential electroplating procedure. Then, those two new polyimides could be dissolved easily in most common solvents (such as THF, DMSO, NMP and DMF). These results indicate that these two soluble polyimides are highly suitable for use in the KrF laser LIGA process.

Micro parts with high aspect ratios have been widely used in different fields including aerospace and defense industries, while the dimensional measurement of these micro parts becomes a challenge in the field of precision measurement and instrument. To deal with this contradiction, several probes for the micro parts precision measurement have been proposed by researchers in Center of Ultra-precision Optoelectronic Instrument (UOI), Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). In this paper, optical fiber probes with structures of spherical coupling(SC) with double optical fibers, micro focal-length collimation (MFL-collimation) and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) are described in detail. After introducing the sensing principles, both advantages and disadvantages of these probes are analyzed respectively. In order to improve the performances of these probes, several approaches are proposed. A two-dimensional orthogonal path arrangement is propounded to enhance the dimensional measurement ability of MFL-collimation probes, while a high resolution and response speed interrogation method based on differential method is used to improve the accuracy and dynamic characteristics of the FBG probes. The experiments for these special structural fiber probes are given with a focus on the characteristics of these probes, and engineering applications will also be presented to prove the availability of them. In order to improve the accuracy and the instantaneity of the engineering applications, several techniques are used in probe integration. The effectiveness of these fiber probes were therefore verified through both the analysis and experiments.

The interplay between porosity and electromigration can be used to manipulate atoms resulting in mass fabrication of nanoscale structures. Electromigration usually results in the accumulation of atoms accompanied by protrusions at the anode and atomic depletion causing voids at the cathode. Here we show that in porous media the pattern of atomic deposition and depletion is altered such that atomic accumulation occurs over the whole surface and not just at the anode. The effect is explained by the interaction between atomic drift due to electric current and local temperature gradients resulting from intense Joule heating at constrictions between grains. Utilizing this effect, a porous silver substrate is used to mass produce free-standing silver nanorods with very high aspect ratios of more than 200 using current densities of the order of 10(8) A/m(2). This simple method results in reproducible formation of shaped nanorods, with independent control over their density and length. Consequently, complex patterns of high quality single crystal nanorods can be formed in-situ with significant advantages over competing methods of nanorod formation for plasmonics, energy storage and sensing applications.

The experimental and analytical acoustic results of a scale-model investigation or unsuppressed and mechanically suppressed high-radius ratio coannular plug nozzles with inverted velocity and temperature profiles are summarized. Nine coannular nozzle configurations along with a reference conical nozzle were evaluated in the Anechoic Free-Jet Facility for a total of 212 acoustic test points. Most of the tests were conducted at variable cycle engine conditions applicable to advanced high speed aircraft. The tested nozzles included coannular plug nozzles with both convergent and convergent-divergent (C-D) terminations in order to evaluate C-D effectiveness in the reduction of shock-cell noise and 20 and 40 shallow-chute mechanical suppressors in the outer stream in order to evaluate their effectiveness in the reduction of jet noise. In addition to the acoustic tests, mean and turbulent velocity measurements were made on selected plumes of the 20 shallow-chute configuration using a laser velocimeter. At a mixed jet velocity of 700 m/sec, the 20 shallow-chute suppressor configuration yielded peak aft quadrant suppression of 11.5 and 9 PNdB and forward quadrant suppression of 7 and 6 PNdB relative to a baseline conical nozzles during static and simulated flight, respectively. The C-D terminations were observed to reduce shock-cell noise. An engineering spectral prediction method was formulated for mechanically suppressed coannular plug nozzles.

There are several methodology based on voice analysis to evaluate nasal airway. Here we introduce a new quantitative index based on voice spectrum analysis to evaluate nasal obstruction. Ten subjects of nasal blockage were instructed to produced the sustained consonant-vowel syllable /m partial partial differential/ at comfortable levels of speech for at least 5 seconds. After nasal decongestant treatment, the second voice sample was collected. Sound spectrum was obtained by the algorithm of fast Fourier transform and the fundamental frequency (F0) was calculated by the method of autocorrelation. Voice low tone to high tone ratio (VLHR) was defined as the division of low frequency power (LFP) into high frequency power (HFP) of the sound power spectrum and was finally expressed in decibels. The cut-off frequency was the product of F0 and square root of (4 x 5). The VLHR after nasal decongestant treatment increased significantly as compared with that before treatment (P < 0.01). VLHR is a new index derived from sound spectral analysis and that may detect the changes in frequency characteristics of voice during treatment for nasal obstruction. The index is quantitative, non-invasive, and potentially useful for basic researches and clinical applications.

We present results demonstrating seasonal variations in the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) at high-latitude seismic stations. We analyze data from two sites at Poker Flat Research Range, near Fairbanks, Alaska. From the first site, we analyze 3 stations installed by Sandia National Labs (SNL) in a valley with marshy summer conditions. We also analyze the PASSCAL Instrument Center station PIC2, which is installed on rock approximately 3.2 km from the SNL stations. These stations continuously record data at 125 (SNL) and 200 (PIC2) samples per second. Seasonal changes in HVSR at high frequencies (> 20 Hz) appear to be caused by impedance contrasts between frozen and thawed ground. Thawed active layers are known to have slower shear-wave velocities than frozen layers or bedrock. An estimate of active layer thickness at each station is obtained from the quarter-wavelength approximation. We verify the accuracy of this technique by obtaining ground-truth measurements at the sites for both thickness and shear-wave velocity. We use physical probing for the thickness measurements and active-source Refraction-Microtremor (ReMi) surveys for the shear-wave velocities. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000

We present an optimized approach for the deposition of Al2O3 (as a model secondary material) coating into high aspect ratio (≈180) anodic TiO2 nanotube layers using the atomic layer deposition (ALD) process. In order to study the influence of the diffusion of the Al2O3 precursors on the resulting coating thickness, ALD processes with different exposure times (i.e., 0.5, 2, 5, and 10 s) of the trimethylaluminum (TMA) precursor were performed. Uniform coating of the nanotube interiors was achieved with longer exposure times (5 and 10 s), as verified by detailed scanning electron microscopy analysis. Quartz crystal microbalance measurements were used to monitor the deposition process and its particular features due to the tube diameter gradient. Finally, theoretical calculations were performed to calculate the minimum precursor exposure time to attain uniform coating. Theoretical values on the diffusion regime matched with the experimental results and helped to obtain valuable information for further optimization of ALD coating processes. The presented approach provides a straightforward solution toward the development of many novel devices, based on a high surface area interface between TiO2 nanotubes and a secondary material (such as Al2O3). PMID:27643411

A novel structure of high extinction ratio multiplexer/demultiplexer with a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) and a fiber loop mirror (FLM) is proposed. The experimental results show that the extinction ratio can be enhanced about two times in comparison with the conventional MZI.

Zeolites with the CHA topology have been synthesized with Si/Al ratios ranging from 15 to 133. ICP-AES analysis shows that the Si/Al ratio in the material is close to linearly related to the Si/Al ratio in the reaction mixture, while powder XRD shows that the unit cell parameters decrease with increasing Si/Al ratio. The difference between the unit cell parameters for the as-synthesized and the calcined samples show that the structure directing agent sterically hinders the contraction in the ...

Full Text Available The high mortality of melanoma is caused by rapid spread of cancer cells, which occurs unusually early in tumour evolution. Unlike most solid tumours, thickness rather than cytological markers or differentiation is the best guide to metastatic potential. Multiple stimuli that drive melanoma cell migration have been described, but it is not clear which are responsible for invasion, nor if chemotactic gradients exist in real tumours. In a chamber-based assay for melanoma dispersal, we find that cells migrate efficiently away from one another, even in initially homogeneous medium. This dispersal is driven by positive chemotaxis rather than chemorepulsion or contact inhibition. The principal chemoattractant, unexpectedly active across all tumour stages, is the lipid agonist lysophosphatidic acid (LPA acting through the LPA receptor LPAR1. LPA induces chemotaxis of remarkable accuracy, and is both necessary and sufficient for chemotaxis and invasion in 2-D and 3-D assays. Growth factors, often described as tumour attractants, cause negligible chemotaxis themselves, but potentiate chemotaxis to LPA. Cells rapidly break down LPA present at substantial levels in culture medium and normal skin to generate outward-facing gradients. We measure LPA gradients across the margins of melanomas in vivo, confirming the physiological importance of our results. We conclude that LPA chemotaxis provides a strong drive for melanoma cells to invade outwards. Cells create their own gradients by acting as a sink, breaking down locally present LPA, and thus forming a gradient that is low in the tumour and high in the surrounding areas. The key step is not acquisition of sensitivity to the chemoattractant, but rather the tumour growing to break down enough LPA to form a gradient. Thus the stimulus that drives cell dispersal is not the presence of LPA itself, but the self-generated, outward-directed gradient.

The aim of this study is to investigate the chemotactic effect of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)on mouse spermatozoa.Capillary assays were applied to study the chemotactic activity of ascending and descending gradients of uPA.Firstly,the chemotactic effect of an ascending gradient of uPA on mouse spermatozoa was observed by counting the number of spermatozoa that migrated into the capillary after incubation with uPA for 5,10,20,and 30 min,respectively,compared with that after incubation with F10.Twenty minutes was a suitable incubation time to obtain a plateau of sperm accumulation.Meanwhile,to confirm the specific effect of uPA on mouse sperm chemotaxis,uPA inhibitor (PAI-1)and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG were added to the test solution containing 20 U/mL uPA,respectively.To exclude the possibility that PAI-1 and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG may affect sperm accumulation nonspecifically,PAIl and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG were added to F10,respectively.It was found that the chemotactic effect of uPA was neutralized completely by PAI-1 and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG.PAI-1 and anti-uPAR rabbit IgG had no neutralizing effect on the sperm chemotactic effect.Lastly,the sperm chemotaxis response to a descending gradient of uPA was also observed.Taken together,the results suggest that uPA can induce sperm chemotaxis in vitro by binding to its receptor on the sperm membrane and may act as a chemoattractant in precontacting sperm-egg communication thereby increasing the chance encounter of spermatozoa and eggs.

A theoretical nonlinear aeroelastic response analysis for a flexible high-aspect ratio wing excited by harmonic gust load is presented along with a companion wind tunnel test. A multidisci-plinary coupled numerical calculation is developed to simulate the flexible model wing undergoing gust load in the time domain via discrete nonlinear finite element structural dynamic analysis and nonplanar unsteady vortex lattice aerodynamic computation. A dynamic perturbation analysis about a nonlinear static equilibrium is also used to determine the small perturbation flutter bound-ary. A novel noncontact 3-D camera measurement analysis system is firstly used in the wind tunnel test to obtain the spatial large deformation and responses. The responses of the flexible wing under different static equilibrium states and frequency gust loads are discussed. The fair to good quanti-tative agreements between the theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that the presented analysis method is an acceptable way to predict the geometrically nonlinear gust response for flex-ible wings.

Flat beams—beams with asymmetric transverse emittances—have important applications in novel light-source concepts and advanced-acceleration schemes and could possibly alleviate the need for damping rings in lepton colliders. Over the last decade, a flat beam generation technique based on the conversion of an angular-momentum-dominated beam was proposed and experimentally tested. In this paper we explore the production of compressed flat beams. We especially investigate and optimize the flat beam transformation for beams with substantial fractional energy spread. We use as a simulation example the photoinjector of Fermilab’s Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator. The optimizations of the flat beam generation and compression at Advanced Superconducting Test Accelerator were done via start-to-end numerical simulations for bunch charges of 3.2 nC, 1.0 nC, and 20 pC at ~37 MeV. The optimized emittances of flat beams with different bunch charges were found to be 0.25 μm (emittance ratio is ~400), 0.13 μm, 15 nm before compression, and 0.41 μm, 0.20 μm, 16 nm after full compression, respectively, with peak currents as high as 5.5 kA for a 3.2-nC flat beam. These parameters are consistent with requirements needed to excite wakefields in asymmetric dielectric-lined waveguides or produce significant photon flux using small-gap micro-undulators.

The stability and signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the current source circuit are the important factors contributing to enhance the accuracy and sensitivity in bioimpedance measurement system. In this paper we propose a new differential Howland topology current source and evaluate its output characters by simulation and actual measurement. The results include (1) the output current and impedance in high frequencies are stabilized after compensation methods. And the stability of output current in the differential current source circuit (DCSC) is 0.2%. (2) The output impedance of two current circuits below the frequency of 200 KHz is above 1 MΩ, and below 1 MHz the output impedance can arrive to 200 KΩ. Then in total the output impedance of the DCSC is higher than that of the Howland current source circuit (HCSC). (3) The SNR of the DCSC are 85.64 dB and 65 dB in the simulation and actual measurement with 10 KHz, which illustrates that the DCSC effectively eliminates the common mode interference. (4) The maximum load in the DCSC is twice as much as that of the HCSC. Lastly a two-dimensional phantom electrical impedance tomography is well reconstructed with the proposed HCSC. Therefore, the measured performance shows that the DCSC can significantly improve the output impedance, the stability, the maximum load, and the SNR of the measurement system.

Strong competition within the consumer market urges the companies to constantly improve the quality of their devices. For silicon microphones excellent sound quality is the key feature in this respect which means that improving the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), being strongly correlated with the sound quality is a major task to fulfill the growing demands of the market. MEMS microphones with conventional capacitive readout suffer from noise caused by viscous damping losses arising from perforations in the backplate [1]. Therefore, we conceived a novel microphone design based on capacitive read-out via comb structures, which is supposed to show a reduction in fluidic damping compared to conventional MEMS microphones. In order to evaluate the potential of the proposed design, we developed a fully energy-coupled, modular system-level model taking into account the mechanical motion, the slide film damping between the comb fingers, the acoustic impact of the package and the capacitive read-out. All submodels are physically based scaling with all relevant design parameters. We carried out noise analyses and due to the modular and physics-based character of the model, were able to discriminate the noise contributions of different parts of the microphone. This enables us to identify design variants of this concept which exhibit a SNR of up to 73 dB (A). This is superior to conventional and at least comparable to high-performance variants of the current state-of-the art MEMS microphones [2].

I found high Q values (Q-ratio=Jn/Ji, Jn, Ji are remanent magnetization and induced magnetization) in the Sulu ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks, eastern China which is the world's largest UHP metamorphic belt (Fig. 1 in Liu et al., 2009). Q values of 320 core samples with variable lithologies in the 100-2 000 m interval from the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling (CCSD) main hole are as follows: values between 0.06 and 608.24, with an average of 15.56 for 171 eclogite samples; values between 0.11 and 23.83, with an average of 1.93 for 61 orthogneiss samples; values between 0.13 and 1 746.00, with an average of 63.63 for 74 paragneiss samples; and values from 8.07 to 28.23, with an average of 16.59 for 14 serpentinized peridotite (Liu et al., 2010, 2009). However, continental lower crustal rocks generally have low Q values. For example, several thousand samples from the Ukranian shield show a mean Q of about 1.0 (Krutikhovskaya and Pashkevich, 1977).

One of the most exciting trends in analytical geochemistry over the past decade is the push towards smaller and smaller sample sizes while simultaneously achieving high precision isotope ratio measurements. This trend has been driven by advances in clean chemistry protocols, and by significant breakthroughs in mass spectrometer ionization efficiency and detector quality (stability and noise for low signals). In this presentation I will focus on new techniques currently being developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the characterization of ultra-small samples (pg, fg, ag), with particular focus on actinide measurements by MC-ICP-MS. Analyses of U, Pu, Th and Am are routinely carried out in our facility using multi-ion counting techniques. I will describe some of the challenges associated with using exclusively ion counting methods (e.g., stability, detector cross calibration, etc.), and how we work to mitigate them. While the focus of much of the work currently being carried out is in the broad field of nuclear forensics and safeguards, the techniques that are being developed are directly applicable to many geologic questions that require analyses of small samples of U and Th, for example. In addition to the description of the technique development, I will present case studies demonstrating the precision and accuracy of the method as applied to real-world samples.

We investigate the characteristic radiative efficiency \\epsilon, Eddington ratio \\lambda, and duty cycle P_0 of high-redshift active galactic nuclei (AGN), drawing on measurements of the AGN luminosity function at z=3-6 and, especially, on recent measurements of quasar clustering at z=3-4.5 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The free parameters of our models are \\epsilon, \\lambda, and the normalization, scatter, and redshift evolution of the relation between black hole mass \\mbh and halo virial velocity V_vir. We compute the luminosity function from the implied growth of the black hole mass function and the quasar correlation length from the bias of the host halos. We test our adopted formulae for the halo mass function and halo bias against measurements from the large N-body simulation developed by the MICE collaboration. The strong clustering of AGNs observed at z=3 and, especially, at z=4 implies that massive black holes reside in rare, massive dark matter halos. Reproducing the observed luminosity functio...

The stability and signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the current source circuit are the important factors contributing to enhance the accuracy and sensitivity in bioimpedance measurement system. In this paper we propose a new differential Howland topology current source and evaluate its output characters by simulation and actual measurement. The results include (1) the output current and impedance in high frequencies are stabilized after compensation methods. And the stability of output current in the differential current source circuit (DCSC) is 0.2%. (2) The output impedance of two current circuits below the frequency of 200 KHz is above 1 MΩ, and below 1 MHz the output impedance can arrive to 200 KΩ. Then in total the output impedance of the DCSC is higher than that of the Howland current source circuit (HCSC). (3) The SNR of the DCSC are 85.64 dB and 65 dB in the simulation and actual measurement with 10 KHz, which illustrates that the DCSC effectively eliminates the common mode interference. (4) The maximum load in the DCSC is twice as much as that of the HCSC. Lastly a two-dimensional phantom electrical impedance tomography is well reconstructed with the proposed HCSC. Therefore, the measured performance shows that the DCSC can significantly improve the output impedance, the stability, the maximum load, and the SNR of the measurement system.

Full Text Available A computational modelling of microchannel heat sinks with high aspect ratio has been performed to compare the geometrical features in the plane parallel to the heating surface and to determine the optimum configuration for the best heat transfer characteristics. A periodic thermal development of flow can cause significant heat transfer enhancement. A consensus on a particular geometrical configuration that provides the best heat transfer characteristics has not been reached in the literature, although many novel ideas have been proposed recently. Firstly the validity and applicability of microchannel sink modelling is presented followed by an optimization of parameters of interrupted microchannel heat sink. Consequences of the multichannel effect due to the introduction of transverse microchamber are also presented. It has been shown that the average Nusselt number of the microchannel heat sink increases by the introduction of a transverse microchamber with the additional advantage of a lower pressure drop. There exists an optimum width for the transverse microchamber for which the interrupted microchannel heat sink shows optimum characteristics.

The stability and signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the current source circuit are the important factors contributing to enhance the accuracy and sensitivity in bioimpedance measurement system. In this paper we propose a new differential Howland topology current source and evaluate its output characters by simulation and actual measurement. The results include (1) the output current and impedance in high frequencies are stabilized after compensation methods. And the stability of output current in the differential current source circuit (DCSC) is 0.2%. (2) The output impedance of two current circuits below the frequency of 200 KHz is above 1 MΩ, and below 1 MHz the output impedance can arrive to 200 KΩ. Then in total the output impedance of the DCSC is higher than that of the Howland current source circuit (HCSC). (3) The SNR of the DCSC are 85.64 dB and 65 dB in the simulation and actual measurement with 10 KHz, which illustrates that the DCSC effectively eliminates the common mode interference. (4) The maximum load in the DCSC is twice as much as that of the HCSC. Lastly a two-dimensional phantom electrical impedance tomography is well reconstructed with the proposed HCSC. Therefore, the measured performance shows that the DCSC can significantly improve the output impedance, the stability, the maximum load, and the SNR of the measurement system.

Full Text Available A hot gas is used for heating the cavity surface of a mold. Different mold gap sizes were designed. The mold surface temperature was heated to above the glass transition temperature of the plastic material, and the mold then closed for melt filling. The cavity surface can be heated to 130°C to assist the melt filling of the microfeatures. Results show that hot gas heating can improve the filling process and achieve 91% of the high aspect ratio microgrooves (about 640.38 μm of the maximum of 700 μm. The mold gap size strongly affects the heating speed and heating uniformity. Without surface preheating, the center rib is the highest. When the heating target temperature is 90°C or 100°C, the three microribs have a good uniformity of height. However, when the target temperature exceeds 100°C, the left side rib is higher than the other ribs.

A principal role of the DOE Savannah River Site is to safely dispose of a large volume of liquid nuclear waste held in many storage tanks. An in-tank ion exchange unit is being considered for cesium removal to accelerate waste processing. This unit is planned to have a relatively high bed height to diameter ratio (10:1). Complicating the design is the need to cool the ion exchange media; therefore, the ion exchange column will have a central cooling core making the flow path annular. To separate cesium from waste the media being considered is made of resorcinol formaldehyde resin deposited on spherical plastic beads and is a substitute for a previously tested resin made of crystalline silicotitanate. This spherical media not only has an advantage of being mechanically robust, but, unlike its predecessor, it is also reusable, that is, loaded cesium can be removed through elution and regeneration. Resin regeneration leads to more efficient operation and less spent resin waste, but its hydraulic performance in the planned ion exchange column was unknown. Moreover, the recycling process of this spherical resorcinol formaldehyde causes its volume to significantly shrink and swell. To determine the spherical media's hydraulic demand a linearly scaled column was designed and tested. The waste simulant used was prototypic of the wastes' viscosity and density. This paper discusses the hydraulic performance of the media that will be used to assist in the design of a full-scale unit.

Marine sediments cover two-thirds of our planet and harbor huge numbers of living prokaryotes. Long-term survival of indigenous microorganisms within the deep subsurface is still enigmatic, as sources of organic carbon are vanishingly small. To better understand controlling factors of microbial life, we have analyzed viral abundance within a comprehensive set of globally distributed subsurface sediments. Phages were detected by electron microscopy in deep (320 m below seafloor), ancient (∼14 Ma old) and the most oligotrophic subsurface sediments of the world's oceans (South Pacific Gyre (SPG)). The numbers of viruses (10(4)-10(9) cm(-3), counted by epifluorescence microscopy) generally decreased with sediment depth, but always exceeded the total cell counts. The enormous numbers of viruses indicate their impact as a controlling factor for prokaryotic mortality in the marine deep biosphere. The virus-to-cell ratios increased in deeper and more oligotrophic layers, exhibiting values of up to 225 in the deep subsurface of the SPG. High numbers of phages might be due to absorption onto the sediment matrix and a diminished degradation by exoenzymes. However, even in the oldest sediments, microbial communities are capable of maintaining viral populations, indicating an ongoing viral production and thus, viruses provide an independent indicator for microbial life in the marine deep biosphere.

Background and Objectives: The second to fourth (2D:4D) digit ratio is a sexually dimorphic trait which has been studied to examine the association between fetal hormones and a variety of behaviors. Lower 2D:4D ratios, suggestive of exposure to higher levels of prenatal testosterone, have been assoc

Full Text Available A composite high-aspect-ratio wing of a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE aircraft was modeled with FEM by MSC/NASTRAN, and the nonlinear static equilibrium state is calculated under design load with follower force effect, but without load redistribution. Assuming the little vibration amplitude of the wing around the static equilibrium state, the system is linearized and the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the deformed structure are obtained. Planar doublet lattice method is used to calculate unsteady aerodynamics in frequency domain ignoring the bending effect of the deflected wing. And then, the aeroelastic stability analysis of the system under a given load condition is successively carried out. Comparing with the linear results, the nonlinear displacement of the wing tip is higher. The results indicate that the critical nonlinear flutter is of the flap/chordwise bending type because of the chordwise bending having quite a large torsion component, with low critical speed and slowly growing damping, which dose not appear in the linear analysis. Furthermore, it is shown that the variation of the nonlinear flutter speed depends on the scale of the load and on the chordwise bending frequency. The research work indicates that, for the very flexible HALE aircraft, the nonlinear aeroelastic stability is very important, and should be considered in the design progress. Using present FEM software as the structure solver (e.g. MSC/NASTRAN, and the unsteady aerodynamic code, the nonlinear aeroelastic stability margin of a complex system other than a simple beam model can be determined.

Objectives The objectives of this study are to investigate the properties of high aspect-ratio hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanofibers and the reinforcing effect of such fibers on bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate (BisGMA)/triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) dental resins (without silica microparticle filler) and dental composites (with silica microparticle filler) with various mass fractions (loading rates). Methods HAP nanofibers were synthesized using a wet-chemical method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Biaxial flexural strength (BFS) of the HAP nanofibers reinforced dental resins without any microsized filler and dental composites with silica microparticle filler was tested and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for the statistically analysis of acquired data. The morphology of fracture surface of tested dental composite samples was examined by SEM. Results The HAP nanofibers with aspect-ratios of 600 to 800 can be successfully fabricated with a simple wet-chemical method in aqueous solution. Impregnation of small mass fractions of the HAP nanofibers (5 wt% or 10 wt%) into the BisGMA/TEGDMA dental resins or impregnation of small mass fractions of the HAP nanofibers (2 wt% or 3 wt%) into the dental composites can substantially improve the biaxial flexural strength of the resulting dental resins and composites. A percolation threshold of HAP nanofibers, beyond which more nanofibers will no longer further increase the mechanical properties of dental composites containing HAP nanofibers, was observed for the dental composites with or without silica microparticle filler. Our mechanical testing and fractographic analysis indicated that the relatively good dispersion of HAP nanofibers at low mass fraction is the key reason for the significantly improved biaxial flexural strength, while higher mass fraction of HAP nanofibers tends to lead to bundles that cannot effectively

After exposure to low density lipoprotein (LDL) that had been minimally modified by oxidation (MM-LDL), human endothelial cells (EC) and smooth muscle cells (SMC) cultured separately or together produced 2- to 3-fold more monocyte chemotactic activity than did control cells or cells exposed to freshly isolated LDL. This increase in monocyte chemotactic activity was paralleled by increases in mRNA levels for a monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) that is constitutively produced by the human glioma U-105MG cell line. Antibody that had been prepared against cultured baboon smooth muscle cell chemotactic factor (anti-SMCF) did not inhibit monocyte migration induced by the potent bacterial chemotactic factor f-Met-Leu-Phe. However, anti-SMCF completely inhibited the monocyte chemotactic activity found in the media of U-105MG cells, EC, and SMC before and after exposure to MM-LDL. Moreover, monocyte migration into the subendothelial space of a coculture of EC and SMC that had been exposed to MM-LDL was completely inhibited by anti-SMCF. Anti-SMCF specifically immunoprecipitated 10-kDa and 12.5-kDa proteins from EC. Incorporation of (35S)methionine into the immunoprecipitated proteins paralleled the monocyte chemotactic activity found in the medium of MM-LDL stimulated EC and the levels of MCP-1 mRNA found in the EC. We conclude that SMCF is in fact MCP-1 and MCP-1 is induced by MM-LDL.

The genome of Xanthomonas citri subsp. Citri strain 306 pathotype A (Xac) was completely sequenced more than 10 years; to date, few studies involving functional genomics Xac and its host compatible have been developed, specially related to adaptive events that allow the survival of Xac within the plant. Proteomic analysis of Xac showed that the processes of chemotactic signal transduction and phosphate metabolism are key adaptive strategies during the interaction of a pathogenic bacterium with its plant host. The results also indicate the importance of a group of proteins that may not be directly related to the classical virulence factors, but that are likely fundamental to the success of the initial stages of the infection, such as methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein (Mcp) and phosphate specific transport (Pst). Furthermore, the analysis of the mutant of the gene pstB which codifies to an ABC phosphate transporter subunit revealed a complete absence of citrus canker symptoms when inoculated in compatible hosts. We also conducted an in silico analysis which established the possible network of genes regulated by two-component systems PhoPQ and PhoBR (related to phosphate metabolism), and possible transcriptional factor binding site (TFBS) motifs of regulatory proteins PhoB and PhoP, detaching high degree of conservation of PhoB TFBS in 84 genes of Xac genome. This is the first time that chemotaxis signal transduction and phosphate metabolism were therefore indicated to be fundamental to the process of colonization of plant tissue during the induction of disease associated with Xanthomonas genus bacteria.

Gaucher disease results from mutations in GBA1 that cause functional disruption of the encoded lysosomal enzyme, acid β-glucosidase. The consequent excess accumulation of glucosylceramide and glucosylsphingosine in lysosomes is central to the disease pathogenesis with classical involvement of macrophage (Mфs) lineage cells of visceral organs, bone, or brain. Several studies have implicated the increased secretion of chemokines and infiltration of a variety of immunological cells into tissues of Gaucher disease patients. Trafficking of immunological cells to the sites of inflammation requires the presence of chemokines. Although increases of different immunological cells and several chemokines are present in Gaucher disease, the specific chemoattractants that cause the increased influx of immunological cells are not fully defined. Here, increased levels of I-309, MCP-5, CXCL-2, CXCL-9, CXCL-10, CXCL-11, CXCL-13, and their corresponding leukocytes, i.e., MOs (monocytes), Mфs, dendritic cells (DCs), polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), and T, and B cells were identified in the circulation of mice with Gba1 mutations (D409V/null). Sera from D409V/null mice contained chemoattractants for a variety of immunological cells as shown by ex vivo chemotaxis studies and by flow cytometry. Enhanced chemotaxis towards 9V/null sera was found for 9V/null lung-, spleen-, liver-, and bone marrow-derived Mфs (CD11b(+) F480(+)), PMNs (Gr1(high) CD11b(+)), DCs (CD11c(+) CD11b(+)), T lymphocytes (CD3(+) TCRB(+)), and B lymphocytes (B220(+) CD19(+)). These data support these chemotactic factors as causative to increased tissue infiltration of leukocytes in Gaucher disease.

Previous research has shown that an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) of the myticin class C (Myt C) is the most abundantly expressed gene in cDNA and suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries after immune stimulation of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. However, to date, the expression pattern, the antimicrobial activities and the immunomodulatory properties of the Myt C peptide have not been determined. In contrast, it is known that Myt C mRNA presents an unusual and high level of polymorphism of unidentified biological significance. Therefore, to provide a better understanding of the features of this interesting molecule, we have investigated its function using four different cloned and expressed variants of Myt C cDNA and polyclonal anti-Myt C sera. The in vivo results suggest that this AMP, mainly present in hemocytes, could be acting as an immune system modulator molecule because its overexpression was able to alter the expression of mussel immune-related genes (as the antimicrobial peptides Myticin B and Mytilin B, the C1q domain-containing protein MgC1q, and lysozyme). Moreover, the in vitro results indicate that Myt C peptides have antimicrobial and chemotactic properties. Their recombinant expression in a fish cell line conferred protection against two different fish viruses (enveloped and non-enveloped). Cell extracts from Myt C expressing fish cells were also able to attract hemocytes. All together, these results suggest that Myt C should be considered not only as an AMP but also as the first chemokine/cytokine-like molecule identified in bivalves and one of the few examples in all of the invertebrates.

Full Text Available Previous research has shown that an antimicrobial peptide (AMP of the myticin class C (Myt C is the most abundantly expressed gene in cDNA and suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH libraries after immune stimulation of mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. However, to date, the expression pattern, the antimicrobial activities and the immunomodulatory properties of the Myt C peptide have not been determined. In contrast, it is known that Myt C mRNA presents an unusual and high level of polymorphism of unidentified biological significance. Therefore, to provide a better understanding of the features of this interesting molecule, we have investigated its function using four different cloned and expressed variants of Myt C cDNA and polyclonal anti-Myt C sera. The in vivo results suggest that this AMP, mainly present in hemocytes, could be acting as an immune system modulator molecule because its overexpression was able to alter the expression of mussel immune-related genes (as the antimicrobial peptides Myticin B and Mytilin B, the C1q domain-containing protein MgC1q, and lysozyme. Moreover, the in vitro results indicate that Myt C peptides have antimicrobial and chemotactic properties. Their recombinant expression in a fish cell line conferred protection against two different fish viruses (enveloped and non-enveloped. Cell extracts from Myt C expressing fish cells were also able to attract hemocytes. All together, these results suggest that Myt C should be considered not only as an AMP but also as the first chemokine/cytokine-like molecule identified in bivalves and one of the few examples in all of the invertebrates.

To examine the utility of waist-to-height ratio to identify risk of high blood pressure when compared to body mass index and waist circumference in South Indian urban school children. Secondary data analysis from a cross-sectional study. Urban schools around Bangalore, India. 1913 children (58.1% males) aged 6-16 years with no prior history of chronic illness (PEACH study). Height, weight, waist circumference and of blood pressure were measured. Children with blood pressure ?90th percentile of age-, sex-, and height-adjusted standards were labelled as having high blood pressure. 13.9% had a high waist-to-height ratio, 15.1% were overweight /obese and 21.7% had high waist circumference. High obesity indicators were associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure. The adjusted risk ratios (95% CI) of high systolic blood pressure with waist-to-height ratio, body mass index and waist circumference were 2.48 (1.76, 3.47), 2.59 (1.66, 4.04) and 2.38 (1.74, 3.26), respectively. Similar results were seen with high diastolic blood pressure. Obesity indicators, especially waist-to-height ratio due to its ease of measurement, can be useful initial screening tools for risk of high blood pressure in urban Indian school children.

The reversed field pinch (RFP) configuration at an aspect ratio of 8.8 is studied numerically by means of the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic code DEBS [D. D. Schnack et al., J. Comput. Phys. 70, 330 (1987)]. This aspect ratio is equal to that of the Extrap T1 experiment [S. Mazur et al., Nucl. Fusion 34, 427 (1994)]. A numerical study of a RFP with this level of aspect ratio requires extensive computer achievements and has hitherto not been performed. The results are compared with previous studies [Y. L. Ho et al., Phys. Plasmas 2, 3407 (1995)] of lower aspect ratio RFP configurations. In particular, an evaluation of the extrapolation to the aspect ratio of 8.8 made in this previous study shows that the extrapolation of the spectral spread, as well as most of the other findings, are confirmed. An important exception, however, is the magnetic diffusion coefficient, which is found to decrease with aspect ratio. Furthermore, an aspect ratio dependence of the magnetic energy and of the helicity of the RFP is found.

.... The density ratios were 0.13, 0.23 and 0.50. The results show that at high buoyancy parameter and high rotation number with a low density ratio, the flow in the first passage is governed by the secondary flow induced by the rotation whereas...

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Knowing atmospheric 13CO2/12CO2 ratios precisely is important to understanding biogenic and anthroprogenic sources and sinks for carbon. Currently available field...

In this study we introduce Gallium Nitride (GaN) nanowire (NW) as high aspect ratio tip with excellent durability for nano-scale metrology. GaN NWs have superior mechanical property and young modulus compare to commercial Si and Carbon tips which results in having less bending issue during measurement. The GaN NWs are prepared via two different methods: i) Catalyst-free selected area growth, using Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD), ii) top-down approach by employing Au nanoparticles as the mask material in dry-etch process. To achieve small diameter tips, the semipolar planes of the NWs grown by MOCVD are etched using AZ400k. The diameter of the NWs fabricated using the top down process is controlled by using different size of nanoparticles and by Inductively Coupled Plasma etching. NWs with various diameters were manipulated on Si cantilevers using Focus Ion Beam (FIB) to make tips for AFM measurement. A Si (110) substrate containing nano-scale grooves with vertical 900 walls were used as a sample for inspection. AFM measurements were carried out in tapping modes for both types of nanowires (top-down and bottom-up grown nanowires) and results are compared with conventional Si and carbon nanotube tips. It is shown our fabricated tips are robust and have improved edge resolution over conventional Si tips. GaN tips made with NW's fabricated using our top down method are also shown to retain the gold nanoparticle at tip, which showed enhanced field effects in Raman spectroscopy.

The demand for advanced high strength steels (AHSS) with higher strengths is increasing in the automotive industry. While there have been major improvements recently in the trade-off between ductility and strength, sheared-edge formability of AHSS remains a critical issue. AHSS sheets exhibit cracking during stamping and forming operations below the predictions of forming limits. It has become important to understand the correlation between microstructure and sheared edge formability. The present work investigates the effects of shearing conditions, microstructure, and tensile properties on sheared edge formability. Seven commercially produced steels with tensile strengths of 1000 +/- 100 MPa were evaluated: five dual-phase (DP) steels with different compositions and varying microstructural features, one trip aided bainitic ferrite (TBF) steel, and one press-hardened steel tempered to a tensile strength within the desired range. It was found that sheared edge formability is influenced by the martensite in DP steels. Quantitative stereology measurements provided results that showed martensite size and distribution affect hole expansion ratio (HER). The overall trend is that HER increases with more evenly dispersed martensite throughout the microstructure. This microstructure involves a combination of martensite size, contiguity, mean free distance, and number of colonies per unit area. Additionally, shear face characterization showed that the fracture and burr region affect HER. The HER decreases with increasing size of fracture and burr region. With a larger fracture and burr region more defects and/or micro-cracks will be present on the shear surface. This larger fracture region on the shear face facilitates cracking in sheared edge formability. Finally, the sheared edge formability is directly correlated to true fracture strain (TFS). The true fracture strain from tensile samples correlates to the HER values. HER increases with increasing true fracture strain.

Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions are essential to the survival and proliferation of most cells, and are responsible for triggering a wide range of biochemical pathways. More recently, the biomechanical role of those interactions was highlighted, showing, for instance, that adhesion forces are essential for cytoskeleton organization. Silicon nanowires (Si NWs) with their small size, high aspect ratio and anisotropic mechanical response represent a useful model to investigate the forces involved in the adhesion processes and their role in cellular development. In this work we explored and quantified, by single cell force spectroscopy (SCFS), the interaction of mouse embryonic fibroblasts with a flexible forest of Si NWs. We observed that the cell adhesion forces are comparable to those found on collagen and bare glass coverslip, analogously the membrane tether extraction forces are similar to that on collagen but stronger than that on bare flat glass. Cell survival did not depend significantly on the substrate, although a reduced proliferation after 36 h was observed. On the contrary both cell morphology and cytoskeleton organization revealed striking differences. The cell morphology on Si-NW was characterized by a large number of filopodia and a significant decrease of the cell mobility. The cytoskeleton organization was characterized by the absence of actin fibers, which were instead dominant on collagen and flat glass support. Such findings suggest that the mechanical properties of disordered Si NWs, and in particular their strong asymmetry, play a major role in the adhesion, morphology and cytoskeleton organization processes. Indeed, while adhesion measurements by SCFS provide out-of-plane forces values consistent with those measured on conventional substrates, weaker in-plane forces hinder proper cytoskeleton organization and migration processes.

Full Text Available Experimental investigations on the influences of Reynolds number, blade planform and advance ratio on the aerodynamic performance are carried. Different from conventional aircraft propellers, the HAA propellers are characterized by low Reynolds number, large thrust requirement and low advance ratio. At the moment, the theoretical guidance and industrial experience in designing such propellers are still lacked. In the present study, the influence of Reynolds number is firstly studied via tests of a propeller at different rotational speeds. It is found that, for the propeller with airfoil S1223, the influence of Reynolds number is negligible as Re0.7 > 1.2 × 105 ( . The tests regarding the influences of blade planform and advance ratio on propeller performance are carried in the condition of Re0.7 ≥ 1.5 × 105. The results show that, when advance ratio is below 0.8, the blade with narrow tip is favorable to the propulsive efficiency. Hence, it is suggested that the blade with narrow tip should be adopted by the large thrust and small advance ratio HAA propellers. For HAA propellers with advance ratio greater than 0.8, the propulsive efficiency can be benefitted by increasing the blade tip width. Hence, the blade with wide tip is more suitable in this application.

A complete stage of an axial-flow compressor was designed and built to investigate the possibility of obtaining a high pressure ratio with an acceptable efficiency through the use of the optimum combination of high blade loading and high relative inlet Mach number. Over-all stage performance was investigated over a range of flows at equivalent tip speeds of 418 to 836 feet per second. At design speed (836 ft/sec), a peak total-pressure ration of 1.445 was obtained with an adiabatic efficiency of 0.89. For design angle of attack at the mean radius, a total-pressure ratio of 1.392 was obtained.

Purpose The ratio of serum leptin to adiponectin (L/A ratio) could be used as a marker for insulin resistance. However, few prospective studies have investigated the impact of L/A ratio on improvement of metabolic components in high-risk individuals with metabolic syndrome. We examined the association between L/A ratio and the regression of metabolic syndrome in a population-based longitudinal study. Materials and Methods A total of 1017 subjects (431 men and 586 women) with metabolic syndrome at baseline (2005–2008) were examined and followed (2008–2011). Baseline serum levels of leptin and adiponectin were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) analyses were used to assess the predictive ability of L/A ratio for the regression of metabolic syndrome. Results During an average of 2.8 years of follow-up, metabolic syndrome disappeared in 142 men (32.9%) and 196 women (33.4%). After multivariable adjustment, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for regression of metabolic syndrome in comparisons of the lowest to the highest tertiles of L/A ratio were 1.84 (1.02–3.31) in men and 2.32 (1.37–3.91) in women. In AUROC analyses, L/A ratio had a greater predictive power than serum adiponectin for the regression of metabolic syndrome in both men (p=0.024) and women (p=0.019). Conclusion Low L/A ratio is a predictor for the regression of metabolic syndrome. The L/A ratio could be a useful clinical marker for management of high-risk individuals with metabolic syndrome. PMID:28120564

In freshwater ecosystems, a variety of factors mediate phytoplankton community structure, including herbivore community structure, light availability, temperature, mixing, and absolute and relative nutrient concentrations (total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)). Ecological stoichiometry examines how the nutrient content of organisms and their environment may mediate population-, community-, and ecosystem-level processes. The manipulation of N:P ratios is a widely regarded tool for managing phytoplankton species composition given that nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria should dominate algal communities under relatively low N:P (nitrogen. However, due to the physiological expense of nitrogen fixation, diazotrophs should be outcompeted by non-nitrogen fixing phytoplankton under higher N:P when other environmental factors are similar. We tested this hypothesis in a field experiment using 2500-L limnocorrals installed in a eutrophic lake (ambient N:P ∼40:1 (by atoms); TN ∼1360 μgL(-1); TP ∼75 μgL(-1)). At the start of the experiment, we randomly assigned limnocorrals among the ambient (40:1) and low (7:1) or high (122:1) N:P treatments (n = 4 replicates/treatment), which were established by adding P or N at the start of the experiment, respectively. The phytoplankton community in the enclosures at the start of the experiment was diverse (i.e., 18 phytoplankton genera) and dominated by chlorophytes (including Coelastrum and Scenedesmus (30% and 13% of total biomass, respectively)) and cyanobacteria (including Anabaena and Cylindrospermopsis (23% and 17% of total biomass, respectively)). In contrast to predictions based on ecological stoichiometry, the phytoplankton community in all N:P treatments increased in abundance and was almost entirely composed of the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, by the conclusion of the study. Moreover, concentrations of the cyanobacterial neurotoxin, saxitoxin, were enhanced under the two highest N

High Rayleigh number convection in a rectangular cavity with insulated horizontal surfaces and differentially heated vertical walls was analyzed for an arbitrary aspect ratio smaller than or equal to unity. Unlike previous analytical studies, a systematic method of solution based on linearization technique and analytical iteration procedure was developed to obtain approximate closed-form solutions for a wide range of aspect ratios. The predicted velocity and temperature fields are shown to be in excellent agreement with available experimental and numerical data.

Mass fabrication of polymer micro components with high aspect ratio micro-structures requires high performance micro tools allowing the use of low cost replication processes such as micro injection moulding. In this regard an innovative process chain, based on a combination of micro electrical di...

The design of Organic Rankine cycle (ORC) turbines is a challenging task due to the complex thermodynamic behavior of the working fluid, the typical high expansion ratio which leads to a highly supersonic flow, the flow unsteadiness, and the continuous shift of operation between on- and off-design

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A high aspect ratio micro-pin array was fabricated by laser beam machining using the piling of a recast layer. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The recast layer could be piled due to the chromium oxide with high surface tension and viscosity of chromium oxide. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The machining characteristics for a high aspect ratio micro-pin array were investigated according to laser beam parameters. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Experiments for attaching force relative to the surface roughness of the subject plane were carried out. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The developed micro-pin array was successfully attached to vertical wall. - Abstract: In this paper, a micro-pin array with a high aspect ratio was fabricated on AISI 304 using laser beam ablation for attachment to a vertical wall. In recent times, there has been research in various fields, including robotics and bio-MEMS, regarding attachment to vertical walls, and micro-pin arrays may offer the best solution. For vertical wall attachment, the micro-pin should have a high aspect ratio, long length, and sharp tip. The recast layer could be piled due to the chromium oxide with high surface tension and viscosity of chromium oxide, and it composed the micro-pins with high aspect ratio. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to identify the characteristics of the piled recast layer. The machining characteristics for a high aspect ratio micro-pin array were investigated according to laser beam machining parameters. In addition, experiments for attaching force relative to the surface roughness of the subject plane were carried out.

To evaluate the cerebroplacental ratio which is the ratio of pulsatility index of fetal middle cerebral and umbilical arteries, in normal and high-risk pregnancies during 30-36 weeks of gestation. In this study, we included 70 patients, who were scanned for Doppler parameters of Middle cerebral artery and Umbilical artery pulsatility index ratio of fetus, between 30 and 36 weeks, and then were followed till delivery. Thirty-five patients with normal pregnancy and 35 patients with high-risk pregnancy were included. Perinatal outcome was evaluated in relation to indices ratio. There was cerebroplacental ratio of <1.00 in eight cases of the study group in comparison with the control group in which there is no case of <1.00 value. It was associated with poor perinatal outcome in terms of need for lower segment cesarean section for fetal distress, Apgar <8 at 5 min, and admission to nursery. Cerebroplacental ratio is highly sensitive in diagnosing hemodynamically compromised fetuses and very useful for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome in these fetuses.

The triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG/HDL-C) ratio could be related to insulin resistance (IR). We previously reported that Korean women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) had a high prevalence of impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). We aimed to determine the cutoff value of the TG/HDL-C ratio for predicting IR and to examine whether the TG/HDL-C ratio is useful for identifying individuals at risk of IGT in young Korean women with PCOS. We recruited 450 women with PCOS (24±5 yrs) and performed a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). IR was assessed by a homeostasis model assessment index over that of the 95th percentile of regular-cycling women who served as the controls (n=450, 24±4 yrs). The cutoff value of the TG/HDL-C ratio for predicting IR was 2.5 in women with PCOS. Among the women with PCOS who had normal fasting glucose (NFG), the prevalence of IGT was significantly higher in the women with PCOS who had a high TG/HDL-C ratio compared with those with a low TG/HDL-C ratio (15.6% vs. 5.6%, p2.5 are recommended to be administered an OGTT to detect IGT even if they have NFG.

This paper addresses the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo, which suffer from substantial vibrational loading at small stress amplitude, high stress ratio, and high frequency in the high-temperature environments in which they function as blade and rotor spindle materials in advanced gas or steam turbine engines. Fatigue tests were performed on alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo subjected to constant-amplitude loading at four stress ratios and at four and three temperatures, respectively, to determine their temperature-dependent HCF properties. The interaction mechanisms between high temperature and stress ratio were deduced and compared with each other on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. A phenomenological model was developed to evaluate the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent HCF properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.

This paper addresses the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent high-cycle fatigue (HCF) properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo, which suffer from substantial vibrational loading at small stress amplitude, high stress ratio, and high frequency in the high-temperature environments in which they function as blade and rotor spindle materials in advanced gas or steam turbine engines. Fatigue tests were performed on alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo subjected to constant-amplitude loading at four stress ratios and at four and three temperatures, respectively, to determine their temperature-dependent HCF properties. The interaction mechanisms between high temperature and stress ratio were deduced and compared with each other on the basis of the results of fractographic analysis. A phenomenological model was developed to evaluate the effects of stress ratio on the temperature-dependent HCF properties of alloy steels 2CrMo and 9CrCo. Good correlation was achieved between the predictions and actual experiments, demonstrating the practical and effective use of the proposed method.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) induces human peripheral blood monocytes to secrete a chemotactic cytokine [human macrophage-derived factor (hMDF)] which causes chemotaxis of neutrophils. The only known assay for hMDF cannot quantify its level in samples, so an enzyme immunoassay has been standardized for detection of hMDF and hMDF-specific antibodies in test samples. The reported enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was found to be sensitive (89%), specific (91%), accurate (92·2%) and reproducible and was able to detect a minimum concentration of 23 ng hMDF/ml in test samples. The chemotactic factor could be detected in JEV inoculated mouse sera and JEV infected culture fluids. Significant finding of the test was the detection of hMDF in sera of human cases of JE.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is accompanied by an acute inflammatory infiltration of the lung parenchyma. The cellular infiltrate is characterized by inflammatory cells including neutrophils, lymphocytes and macrophages. Furthermore, neutrophilia in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid has...... been shown to confer a poor prognosis in PCP. We therefore investigated the potential of BAL fluid from 17 patients with PCP to induce neutrophil chemotaxis. BAL fluid from patients induced considerable neutrophil chemotactic activity compared to normal controls. Elevated levels of IL-8 were detected...... in patient samples as compared to controls. A specific anti-IL-8 antibody significantly reduced chemotactic activity of patient samples by more than 50%. In conclusion, IL-8 appears to be a significant participant of neutrophil chemotaxis in AIDS-associated PCP, and may participate in the recruitment...

The objective of this program was to define the aerodynamic design and manufacturing coordinates for an advanced 4:1 pressure ratio, single stage centrifugal compressor at a 10 lbm/sec flow size. The approach taken was to perform an exact scale of an existing DDA compressor originally designed at a flow size of 3.655 lbm/sec.

We report straight pores in titanium dioxide produced by a pattern transfer method with titanium fluoride hydrolysis. The resulting films on fluorine-doped tin oxide had pores with diameters of 30 nm and depths of 500 nm, corresponding to aspect ratios of 1:17.

effectively. The mechanism of action between NaCl and HSQ was analyzed. The collapse and adhesion of resist structure due to the effect of gas-liquid interfacial capillary surface tension were suppressed by the CO2 supercritical drying method. Large-area dense nano-structures with the aspect ratio of 12...

The kinetics of cGMP-binding to the major cGMP-binding activity in Dictyostelium, were investigated in 10 non-chemotactic mutants (KI mutants; KI-1 similar to 10). A wild-type cell contains about 3000 binding sites with a K-d of 1.5 nM. cGMP may dissociate from these binding sites with fast (F-type)

Because ocean water is typically resource-poor, bacteria may gain significant growth advantages if they can exploit the ephemeral nutrient patches originating from numerous, small sources. Although this interaction has been proposed to enhance biogeochemical transformation rates in the ocean, it remains questionable whether bacteria are able to efficiently use patches before physical mechanisms dissipate them. Here we show that the rapid chemotactic response of the marine bacterium Pseudoalte...

This paper studies a two-dimensional chemotactic model for two species in which one of them produces a chemo-repellent for the other. Under these circumstances, the chemical inhibits the invasion of a moving front for the second species. It is shown asymptotically and numerically how stable steady states, which depend on the chemical concentration, can be reached. The results qualitatively explain experimental observations by Swain and Ray, where colonies of bacteria produce metabolite agents which prevent the invasion of fungi.

The effect of increased wing aspect ratio of subsonic aircraft on configurations with and without strut bracing. Results indicate that an optimum cantilever configuration, with a wing aspect ratio of approximately 26, has a 19% improvement in cruise range when compared to a baseline concept with a wing aspect ratio of approximately 10. An optimum strut braced configuration, with a wing aspect ratio of approximately 28, has a 31% improvment in cruise range when compared to the same baseline concept. This improvement is mainly due to the estimated reduction in wing weight resulting from use of lifting struts. All configurations assume the same mission payload and fuel. The drag characteristics of the wings are enhanced with the use of laminar flow airfoils. A method for determining the extent of attainable natural laminar flow, and methods for preliminary structural design and for aerodynamic analysis of wings lifting struts are presented.

Growth hormone (GH) has recently been shown to affect polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocyte (PMN) function and to be secreted by mononuclear cells, indicating that the hormone may be active in an immunophysiologic network, acting as an endo- or paracrine priming agent. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the chemotactic responsiveness of canine peripheral PMN in a dog with acromegaly, caused by spontaneous, progesterone-induced hypersecretion of GH and, secondary to this, a seven-fold increase in insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). The chemotactic responsiveness towards zymosan-activated serum (ZAS) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was evaluated at a time when the dog suffered from acromegaly and again 57 days after corrective surgery (ovariohysterectomy). The experiments showed that PMN from the patient exhibited enhanced chemotactic migration that appeared to be associated with the hypersomatotropic condition as judged from the reversibility of the phenomenon. The glucose intolerance and elevated serum alkaline phosphatase that were observed in the acromegalic dog were also shown to be reversible following surgery.

We report a microfluidic device for automated sorting and cultivation of chemotactic microbes from pure cultures or mixtures. The device consists of two parts: in the first part, a concentration gradient of the chemoeffector was built across the channel for inducing chemotaxis of motile cells; in the second part, chemotactic cells from the sample were separated, and mixed with culture media to form nanoliter droplets for encapsulation, cultivation, enumeration, and recovery of single cells. Chemotactic responses were assessed by imaging and statistical analysis of droplets based on Poisson distribution. An automated procedure was developed for rapid enumeration of droplets with cell growth, following with scale-up cultivation on agar plates. The performance of the device was evaluated by the chemotaxis assays of Escherichia coli (E. coli) RP437 and E. coli RP1616. Moreover, enrichment and isolation of non-labelled Comamonas testosteroni CNB-1 from its 1:10 mixture with E. coli RP437 was demonstrated. The enrichment factor reached 36.7 for CNB-1, based on its distinctive chemotaxis toward 4-hydroxybenzoic acid. We believe that this device can be widely used in chemotaxis studies without necessarily relying on fluorescent labelling, and isolation of functional microbial species from various environments.

One of the main techniques used to explore neutrophil motility, employs micropore filters in chemotactic chambers. Many new models have been proposed, in order to perform multiple microassays in a rapid, inexpensive and reproducible way. In this work, LEGO bricks have been used as chemotactic chambers in the evaluation of neutrophil random motility and chemotaxis and compared with conventional Boyden chambers in a "time-response" experiment. Neutrophil motility throughout the filters was evaluated by means of an image-processing workstation, in which a dedicated algorithm recognizes and counts the cells in several fields and focal planes throughout the whole filter; correlates counts and depth values; performs a statistical analysis of data; calculates the true value of neutrophil migration; determines the distribution of cells; and displays the migration pattern. By this method, we found that the distances travelled by the cells in conventional chambers and in LEGO bricks were perfectly identical, both in random migration and under chemotactic conditions. Moreover, no interference with the physiological behaviour of neutrophils was detectable. In fact, the kinetics of migration was identical both in random migration (characterized by a gaussian pattern) and in chemotaxis (characterized by a typical stimulation peak, previously identified by our workstation). In conclusion, LEGO bricks are extremely precise devices. They are simple to use and allow the use of small amounts of chemoattractant solution and cell suspension, supplying by itself a triplicate test. LEGO bricks are inexpensive, fast and suitable for current diagnostic activity or for research investigations in every laboratory.

Background Serum free light chain assay (SFLCA) and κ/λ ratio, and protein electrophoretic methods are used in the diagnosis and monitoring of monoclonal gammopathies. Methods Results for serum free light chains, serum and urine protein electrophoreses and immunofixation electrophoreses in 468 patients with a diagnosis of monoclonal gammopathy were compared. The results of the two methods were graded as concordant, non-concordant or discordant with the established diagnoses to assess the relative performance of the methods. Results of κ/λ ratio in samples with monoclonal protein detectable by electrophoretic methods were also analyzed. Results Protein electrophoreses results were concordant with the established diagnoses significantly more often than κ/λ ratio. The false negative rate for κ/λ ratio was higher than that for electrophoretic methods. κ/λ ratio was falsely negative in about 27% of the 1,860 samples with detectable monoclonal immunoglobulin. The false negative rate was higher in lesions with lambda chains (32%) than those with kappa chains (24%). The false negative rate for κ/λ ratio was over 55% in samples with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance. Even at first encounter, the false negative rates for κ/λ ratios for monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, smoldering myeloma and multiple myeloma were 66.98%, 23.08%, and 30.15%, respectively, with false negative rate for lambda chain lesions being higher. Conclusions Electrophoretic studies of serum and urine are superior to SFLCA and κ/λ ratio. Abnormal κ/λ ratio, per se, is not diagnostic of monoclonal gammopathy. A normal κ/λ ratio does not exclude monoclonal gammopathy. False negative rates for lesions with lambda chain are higher than those for lesions with kappa chains. Electrophoretic studies of urine are underutilized. Clinical usefulness and medical necessity of SFLCA and κ/λ ratio is of questionable value in routine clinical testing. PMID:27924175

A computer simulation for the dynamic response of high-contact-ratio spur gear transmissions is presented. High contact ratio gears have the potential to produce lower dynamic tooth loads and minimum root stress but they can be sensitive to tooth profile errors. The analysis presented examines various profile modifications under realistic loading conditions. The effect of these modifications on the dynamic load (force) between mating gear teeth and the dynamic root stress is presented. Since the contact stress is dependent on the dynamic load, minimizing dynamic loads will also minimize contact stresses. It is shown that the combination of profile modification and the applied load (torque) carried by a gear system has a significant influence on gear dynamics. The ideal modification at one value of applied load will not be the best solution for a different load. High-contact-ratio gears were found to require less modification than standard low-contact-ratio gears. High-contact-ratio gears are more adversely affected by excess modification than by under modification. In addition, the optimal profile modification required to minimize the dynamic load (hence the contact stress) on a gear tooth differs from the optimal modification required to minimize the dynamic root (bending) stress. Computer simulation can help find the design tradeoffs to determine the best profile modification to satisfy the conflicting constraints of minimizing both the load and root stress in gears which must operate over a range of applied loads.

Microholes drilling has attracted extensive research efforts for its broad applications in photonics, microfluidics, optical fibers and many other fields. A femtosecond (fs) laser is a promising tool for high-precision materials processing with reduced recast/microcracks and minimized heat affected zones. But there remain many challenges in hole drilling using conventional fs laser with Gaussian beams, such as low aspect ratio and taper effects. We report small-diameter and high-aspect-ratio microholes with taper free drilling in PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate) using single-pulse fs laser Bessel beams. Axicon is used to transform Gaussian beams into Bessel beams, which then irradiate in the sample by a telescope consisting of plano-convex lens and microscope objective. Using this technique, we enhance the aspect ratio of microholes by 55 times as compared with Gaussian beams. We attribute this high aspect ratio and high quality microholes formation to the unique spatial intensity distribution and propagation stability of Bessel beams, which can effectively adjust the transient localized electron density distribution leading to a long and uniform localized-interacted zone. By using the optimized pulse energy and focal depth position, the microholes diameter ranges between 1.4-2.1 μm and the aspect ratio can exceed 460. This efficient technique is of great potentials for fabrication of microphotonics devices and microfluidics.

The elemental composition of individual aerosol particles of 0.15-3 μm radius, collected over Kalimantan during the 1997 Indonesian forest fire event, was analyzed using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). Although 60-90% of the particles collected at altitudes of 1-5 km contained K, they exhibited high weight ratios of S/K with median values of 9-18 independent of particle size. These were much larger than those (median values of 2-4) obtained from the forest fires in northern Australia. The high weight ratios over Kalimantan are considered to be due to the heterogeneous growth of particles through the oxidation of SO 2. In addition to SO 2 from the combustion of forest biomass, SO 2 originating from the combustion of peat below the ground is believed to have been important in producing the high S/K ratios.

Escherichia coli chemotaxis has long served as a simple model of environmental signal processing, and bacterial responses to single chemical gradients are relatively well understood. Less is known about the chemotactic behavior of E. coli in multiple chemical gradients. In their native environment, cells are often exposed to multiple chemical stimuli. Using a recently developed microfluidic chemotaxis device, we exposed E. coli cells to two opposing but equally potent gradients of major attractants, methyl-aspartate and serine. The responses of E. coli cells demonstrated that chemotactic decisions depended on the ratio of the respective receptor number of Tar/Tsr. In addition, the ratio of Tar to Tsr was found to vary with cells' growth conditions, whereby it depended on the culture density but not on the growth duration. These results provide biological insights into the decision-making processes of chemotactic bacteria that are subjected to multiple chemical stimuli and demonstrate the importance of the cellular microenvironment in determining phenotypic behavior.

Full Text Available This study proposes new microcantilever designs in slotted step configuration to improve the S/N ratio of surface stress-based sensors used in physical, chemical, biochemical and biosensor applications. The cantilevers are made of silicon dioxide with a u-shaped silicon piezoresistor in p-doped. The cantilever step length and piezoresistor length is varied along with the operating voltage to characterise the surface stress sensitivity and thermal drifting sensitivity of the cantilevers when used as immunosensor. The numerical analysis is performed using ANSYS Multiphysics. Results show the surface stress sensitivity and the S/N ratio of the slotted step cantilevers is improved by more than 32% and 22%, respectively, over its monolithic counterparts.

We have studied the intensity ratios I(Lα1,2)/I(Lβ1,2), I(Lα1,2)/I(Lγ) and I(Lβ1,2)/I(Lγ) for elements Ta, W, Au and Pb by 13.1 keV bremsstrahlung radiation. In this work, experimental values were compared with the theoretical results and other experimental results. Theoretical results of the intensity ratios were calculated with theoretical subshell photoionization cross sections, fractional X-ray emission rates, fluorescence yields, and Coster-Kronig transition probabilities. Good agreement can be observed between experimental values and theoretical results. Comparing with L1 and L2 subshells, the ionization cross section of L3 subshell shows a large increase for Ta and W with the variation of excitation energy from 59.5 keV to 13.1 keV.

E865 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory AGS collected about 70,000 K+(e3) events with the purpose of measuring the relative K+(e3) branching ratio. The pi0 in all the decays was detected using the e+e- pair from pi0 -> e+e-gamma decay and no photons were required. Using the Particle Data Group branching ratios for the normalization decays we obtain BR(K+(e3(gamma))=(5.13+/-0.02(stat)+/-0.09(sys)+/-0.04(norm))%, where $K+(e3(gamma)) includes the effect of virtual and real photons. This result is 2.3 sigma higher than the current Particle Data Group value. The implications of this result for the $V_{us}$ element of the CKM matrix, and the matrix's unitarity are discussed.

We have observed the HN{sup 13}C J = 1-0 and DNC J = 1-0 lines toward 18 massive clumps, including infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and high-mass protostellar objects (HMPOs), by using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope. We have found that the HN{sup 13}C emission is stronger than the DNC emission toward all of the observed sources. The averaged DNC/HNC ratio is indeed lower toward the observed high-mass sources (0.009 {+-} 0.005) than toward the low-mass starless and star-forming cores (0.06). The kinetic temperature derived from the NH{sub 3} (J, K) = (1, 1) and (2, 2) line intensities is higher toward the observed high-mass sources than toward the low-mass cores. However, the DNC/HNC ratio of some IRDCs involving the Spitzer 24 {mu}m sources is found to be lower than that of HMPOs, although the kinetic temperature of the IRDCs is lower than that of the HMPOs. This implies that the DNC/HNC ratio does not depend only on the current kinetic temperature. With the aid of chemical model simulations, we discuss how the DNC/HNC ratio decreases after the birth of protostars. We suggest that the DNC/HNC ratio in star-forming cores depends on the physical conditions and history in their starless-core phase, such as its duration time and the gas kinetic temperature.

We have observed the HN13C J = 1-0 and DNC J = 1-0 lines toward 18 massive clumps, including infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and high-mass protostellar objects (HMPOs), by using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope. We have found that the HN13C emission is stronger than the DNC emission toward all of the observed sources. The averaged DNC/HNC ratio is indeed lower toward the observed high-mass sources (0.009 ± 0.005) than toward the low-mass starless and star-forming cores (0.06). The kinetic temperature derived from the NH3 (J, K) = (1, 1) and (2, 2) line intensities is higher toward the observed high-mass sources than toward the low-mass cores. However, the DNC/HNC ratio of some IRDCs involving the Spitzer 24 μm sources is found to be lower than that of HMPOs, although the kinetic temperature of the IRDCs is lower than that of the HMPOs. This implies that the DNC/HNC ratio does not depend only on the current kinetic temperature. With the aid of chemical model simulations, we discuss how the DNC/HNC ratio decreases after the birth of protostars. We suggest that the DNC/HNC ratio in star-forming cores depends on the physical conditions and history in their starless-core phase, such as its duration time and the gas kinetic temperature.

Full Text Available The Bowen ratio surface energy balance method is a relatively simple method to determine the latent heat flux and the actual land surface evaporation. Despite its simplicity, the Bowen ratio method is generally considered to be unreliable due to the use of two-level sensors that are installed by default in operational Bowen ratio systems. In this paper we present the concept of a new measurement methodology to estimate the Bowen ratio from high resolution vertical dry and wet bulb temperature profiles. A short field experiment with Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS in a fibre optic cable having 13 levels was undertaken. A dry and a wetted section of a fibre optic cable were suspended on a 6 m high tower installed over a sugar beet trial near Pietermaritzburg (South Africa. Using the DTS cable as a psychrometer, a near continuous observation of vapour pressure and temperature at 0.20 m intervals was established. These data allows the computation of the Bowen ratio with a high precision. By linking the Bowen ratio to net radiation and soil heat flux, the daytime latent heat flux was estimated. The latent heat flux derived from DTS-based Bowen ratio (BR-DTS showed consistent agreement (correlation coefficients between 0.97 and 0.98 with results derived from eddy covariance, surface layer scintillometer and surface renewal techniques. The latent heat from BR-DTS overestimated the latent heat derived with the eddy covariance by 4% and the latent heat derived with the surface layer scintillometer by 8%. Through this research, a new window is opened to engage on simplified, inexpensive and easy to interpret in situ measurement techniques for measuring evaporation.

High average power, high repetition rate femtosecond lasers with μJ pulse energies are increasingly used for material processing applications. The unique advantage of material processing with sub-picosecond lasers is efficient, fast and localized energy deposition, which leads to high ablation efficiency and accuracy in nearly all kinds of solid materials. This work focuses on the machining of high aspect ratio structures in transparent dielectrics, in particular chemically strengthened Xensation™ glass from Schott using multi-pass ablative material removal. For machining of high aspect ratio structures, among others needed for cutting applications, a novel method to determine the best relation between kerf width and number of overscans is presented. The importance of this relation for optimization of the machining throughput will be demonstrated.

.Phys., 90(5):2492, 2001; Appl. Phys. Lett., 89:083515, 2006.) an experimental and theoretical analysis of the transduction of SAW under a metallic array of electrodes with a large aspect ratio on a piezoelectric substrate, whereby allowing the electrode height to become larger than one wavelength....... The multimode character of SAW propagation was observed and the explicit dependence of the SAW velocities as a function of the electrode height was obtained experimentally. Up to a 10-fold slowing of surface waves was observed, with the phase velocity dropping from 4000 m/s down to 450 m/s. We present...

Hot embossing is a promising approach for mass production of photonic crystal structures. This paper describes the fabrication of a replication tool for two-dimensional photonic crystal patterns and its replication in substrates of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) and cyclic olefin copolymer (COC......). A nickel tool for the replication of structures with lateral dimensions of 110 nm and heights of approximately 370 nm is fabricated via electroplating of a nanostructured sample resulting in an aspect ratio of approximately 3.5. The structures are subsequently hot embossed into PMMA and COC substrates....

Research efforts ranging from studies of solid helium to searches for a neutron electric dipole moment require isotopically purified helium with a ratio of 3He to 4He at levels below that which can be measured using traditional mass spectroscopy techniques. We demonstrate an approach to such a measurement using accelerator mass spectroscopy, reaching the 10e-14 level of sensitivity, several orders of magnitude more sensitive than other techniques. Measurements of 3He/4He in samples relevant to the measurement of the neutron lifetime indicate the need for substantial corrections. We also argue that there is a clear path forward to sensitivity increases of at least another order of magnitude.

Tokamak experiments at near-unity aspect ratio A≲1.2 offer new insights into the self-organized H-mode plasma confinement regime. In contrast to conventional A∼3 plasmas, the L-H power threshold P_{LH} is ∼15× higher than scaling predictions, and it is insensitive to magnetic topology, consistent with modeling. Edge localized mode (ELM) instabilities shift to lower toroidal mode numbers as A decreases. These ultralow-A operations enable heretofore inaccessible J_{edge}(R,t) measurements through an ELM that show a complex multimodal collapse and the ejection of a current-carrying filament.

We report the batch fabrication of graphene field-effect-transistors (GFETs) with nanoperforated graphene as channel. The transistors were cut and encapsulated. The encapsulated GFETs display saturation regions that can be tuned by modifying the top gate voltage, and have on/off ratios of at least 2 × 103 at room temperature and at small drain and gate voltages. In addition, the nanoperforated GFETs display orders of magnitude higher photoresponses than any room-temperature graphene detector configurations that do not involve heterostructures with bandgap materials.

The patterning of high-resolution-featured deep-nanoscale structures with a high aspect ratio (AR) has received increasing attention in recent years as a promising technique for a wide range of applications, including electrical, optical, mechanical and biological systems. Despite extensive efforts to develop viable nanostructure fabrication processes, a superior technique enabling defect-free, high-resolution control over a large area is still required. In this review, we focus on recent important advances in the designs and processes of high-resolution nanostructures possessing a high AR, including hierarchical and 3D patterns. The unique applications of these materials are also discussed.

Full Text Available We study the variability of the heliospheric energetic proton-to-helium abundance ratios during different phases of the solar cycle. We use energetic particle, solar wind, and magnetic field data from the Ulysses, ACE and IMP-8 spacecraft to compare the H/He intensity ratio at high heliographic latitudes and in the ecliptic plane. During the first out-of-ecliptic excursion of Ulysses (1992–1996, the HI-SCALE instrument measured corotating energetic particle intensity enhancements characterized by low values (< 10 of the 0.5–1.0 MeV nucleon-1 H/He intensity ratio. During the second out-of-ecliptic excursion of Ulysses (1999–2002, the more frequent occurrence of solar energetic particle events resulted in almost continuously high (< 20 values of the H/He ratio, even at the highest heliolatitudes reached by Ulysses. Comparison with in-ecliptic measurements from an identical instrument on the ACE spacecraft showed similar H/He values at ACE and Ulysses, suggesting a remarkable uniformity of energetic particle intensities in the solar maximum heliosphere at high heliolatitudes and in the ecliptic plane. In-ecliptic observations of the H/He intensity ratio from the IMP-8 spacecraft show variations between solar maximum and solar minimum similar to those observed by Ulysses at high heliographic latitudes. We suggest that the variation of the H/He intensity ratio throughout the solar cycle is due to the different level of transient solar activity, as well as the different structure and duration that corotating solar wind structures have under solar maximum and solar minimum conditions. During solar minimum, the interactions between the two different types of solar wind streams (slow vs. fast are strong and long-lasting, allowing for a continuous and efficient acceleration of interstellar pickup He +. During solar maximum, transient events of solar origin (characterized by high values of the H/He ratio are able to globally

Full Text Available Cooling in a centrifugal compressor can improve the performance and reduce the impeller temperature. In a centrifugal compressor, external walls can be cool down, which is known as the shell cooling. This method avoids undesirable effects induced by other cooling methods. Cooling can be applied on different external walls, such as the shroud, diffuser or the back plate. This paper focuses on seeking the most effective cooling place to increase the performance and reduce the impeller temperature. It is found that shroud cooling improves the compressor performance the most. Shroud cooling with 2400 W of cooling power increases the pressure ratio by 4.6% and efficiency by 1.49%. Each 500 W increase in the shroud cooling power, increases the efficiency by 0.3%. Diffuser cooling and back plate cooling have an identical effect on the polytropic efficiency. However, back plate cooling increases the pressure ratio more than diffuser cooling. Furthermore, only back plate cooling reduces the impeller temperature, and with 2400 W of cooling power, the impeller temperature reduces by 45 K.

We describe a process for the fabrication of a Ni stamp that is applied to the microstructuring of polymers by hot embossing. The target devices are microcontainers that have a potential application in oral drug delivery. Each container is a 3D, cylindrical, high aspect ratio microstructure...

In this paper we present the wafer-scale fabrication of molded AFM probes with high aspect ratio ultra-sharp three-plane silicon nitride tips. Using (111) silicon wafers a dedicated process is developed to fabricate molds in the silicon wafer that have a flat triangular bottom surface enclosed by th

Time-of-flight (TOF) is a standard experimental technique for determining, among others, the speed ratio S (velocity spread) of a molecular beam. The speed ratio is a measure for the monochromaticity of the beam and an accurate determination of S is crucial for various applications, for example, for characterising chromatic aberrations in focussing experiments related to helium microscopy or for precise measurements of surface phonons and surface structures in molecular beam scattering experiments. For both of these applications, it is desirable to have as high a speed ratio as possible. Molecular beam TOF measurements are typically performed by chopping the beam using a rotating chopper with one or more slit openings. The TOF spectra are evaluated using a standard deconvolution method. However, for higher speed ratios, this method is very sensitive to errors related to the determination of the slit width and the beam diameter. The exact sensitivity depends on the beam diameter, the number of slits, the chopper radius, and the chopper rotation frequency. We present a modified method suitable for the evaluation of TOF measurements of high speed ratio beams. The modified method is based on a systematic variation of the chopper convolution parameters so that a set of independent measurements that can be fitted with an appropriate function are obtained. We show that with this modified method, it is possible to reduce the error by typically one order of magnitude compared to the standard method.

Full Text Available High aspect ratio diamond nanocone arrays are formed on freestanding diamond film by means of focused ion beam (FIB milling technology and hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD method. The structure and phase purity of an individual diamond nanocone are characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The result indicates that the diamond cones with high aspect ratio and small tip apex radius can be obtained by optimizing the parameters of FIB milling and diamond growth. The diamond nanocone arrays were also used to study the electron field emission properties and electric field shielding effect, finding high emission current density, low threshold and weak shielding effect, all attributable to the high field enhancement factor and suitable cone density of the diamond nanocone emitter

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar employs orthogonal or partially correlated transmit signals to achieve performance benefits over its phased-array counterpart. It has been shown that MIMO radar can achieve greater spatial resolution, improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and target localization, and greater clutter resolution using space-time adaptive processing (STAP). This thesis explores various methods to improve the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) via transmit and receive beamforming. In MIMO radar settings, it is often desirable to transmit power only to a given location or set of locations defined by a beampattern. Current methods involve a two- step process of designing the transmit covariance matrix R via iterative solutions and then using R to generate waveforms that fulfill practical constraints such as having a constant-envelope or drawing from a finite alphabet. In this document, a closed- form method to design R is proposed that utilizes the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) coefficients and Toeplitz matrices. The resulting covariance matrix fulfills the practical constraints such as positive semidefiniteness and the uniform elemental power constraint and provides performance similar to that of iterative methods, which require a much greater computation time. Next, a transmit architecture is presented that exploits the orthogonality of frequencies at discrete DFT values to transmit a sum of orthogonal signals from each antenna. The resulting waveforms provide a lower mean-square error than current methods at a much lower computational cost, and a simulated detection scenario demonstrates the performance advantages achieved. It is also desirable to receive signal power only from a given set of directions defined by a beampattern. In a later chapter of this document, the problem of receive beampattern matching is formulated and three solutions to this problem are demonstrated. We show that partitioning the received data vector

Full Text Available The aim of this work was to determine the impact of various heat treatments on the KIc/HRc ratio and subsequently on the wear properties of coated high-speed steel under dynamic impact loading. The results showed that hardness and improvement in the fracture toughness have significant influence on the adhesion and impact wear properties of the coated high-speed steel.

As a continuation of the studies of reference 1, three full-scale helicopter rotors have been tested in the Ames Research Center 40- by SO-foot wind tunnel. All three of them were two-bladed, teetering rotors. One of the rotors incorporated the NACA 0012 airfoil section over the entire length of the blade. This rotor was tested at advance ratios up to 1.05. Both of the other rotors were tapered in thickness and incorporated leading-edge camber over the outer 20 percent of the blade radius. The larger of these rotors was tested at advancing tip Mach numbers up to 1.02. Data were obtained for a wide range of lift and propulsive force, and are presented without discussion.

In the present communication, we will show that the compression effect of the Redlich-Kwong equation of state(EOS) is lower than that of the van der Waals (vdW) EOS. The Redlich-Kwong equation of state has a better agreement with experimental data for the coexistence curve than the van derWaals (vdW) EOS. We implement the Redlich-Kwong EOS in the lattice Boltzmann simulations via a pseudo-potential. As a result, multi-phase flows with large density ratios may be simulated, thus many real applications in engineering problems can be applied. Acknowledgement: This research is supported in part by Ministry of Education in China via project IRT0844 and NSFC project 10625210 and Shanghai Sci and Tech. Com. Project 08ZZ43

This analysis evaluated the hypothesis that the plasma triglyceride (TG)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration ratio can help identify patients with essential hypertension who are insulin-resistant, with the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profile associated with that defect. Data from a community-based study developed between 2003 and 2012 were used to compare CVD risk factors and outcome. Plasma TG/HDL-C cut-points of 2.5 (women) and 3.5 (men) subdivided normotensive (n = 574) and hypertensive (n = 373) subjects into "high" and "low" risk groups. Metabolic syndrome criteria (MetS) were also used to identify "high" and "low" risk groups. The baseline cardio-metabolic profile was significantly more adverse in 2003 in "high" risk subgroups, irrespective of BP classification or definition of risk (TG/HDL-C ratio vs. MetS criteria). Crude incidence of combined CVD events increased across risk groups, ranging from 1.9 in normotensive-low TG/HDL-C subjects to 19.9 in hypertensive-high TG/HDL-C ratio individuals (P for trends ratios for CVD events also increased with both hypertension and TG/HDL-C. Comparable findings were seen when CVD outcome was predicted by MetS criteria. The TG/HDL-C concentration ratio and the MetS criteria identify to a comparable degree hypertensive subjects who are at greatest cardio-metabolic risk and develop significantly more CVD.

Full Text Available A program of high-precision half-life and branching-ratio measurements for superallowed Fermi β emitters is being carried out at TRIUMF’s Isotope Separator and Accelerator (ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. Recent half-life measurements for the superallowed decays of 14O, 18Ne, and 26Alm, as well as branching-ratio measurements for 26Alm and 74Rb are reported. These results provide demanding tests of the Standard Model and the theoretical isospin symmetry breaking (ISB corrections in superallowed Fermi β decays.

A gyrokinetic study based on numerical and analytical calculations is presented, which computes the dependence of the turbulent diffusion of highly charged impurities on the ratio of the electron to the ion heat flux of the plasma. Nonlinear simulations show that the size of the turbulent diffusion of heavy impurities can vary by one order of magnitude with fixed total heat flux and is an extremely sensitive function of the electron to ion heat flux ratio. Numerical linear calculations are found to reproduce the nonlinear results. Thereby, a quasi-linear analytical approach is used to explain the origin of this dependence.

The bacterium E. coli maneuvers itself to regions with high chemoattractant concentrations by performing two stereotypical moves: `runs', in which it moves in near straight lines, and `tumbles', in which it does not advance but changes direction randomly. The duration of each move is stochastic and depends upon the chemoattractant concentration experienced in the recent past. We relate this stochastic behavior to the steady-state density of a bacterium population, and we derive the latter as a function of chemoattractant concentration. In contrast to earlier treatments, here we account for the effects of temporal correlations and variable tumbling durations. A range of behaviors obtains, that depends subtly upon several aspects of the system - memory, correlation, and tumbling stochasticity in particular.

We present a computationally efficient framework to compute the neutral flux in high aspect ratio structures during three-dimensional plasma etching simulations. The framework is based on a one-dimensional radiosity approach and is applicable to simulations of convex rotationally symmetric holes and convex symmetric trenches with a constant cross-section. The framework is intended to replace the full three-dimensional simulation step required to calculate the neutral flux during plasma etching simulations. Especially for high aspect ratio structures, the computational effort, required to perform the full three-dimensional simulation of the neutral flux at the desired spatial resolution, conflicts with practical simulation time constraints. Our results are in agreement with those obtained by three-dimensional Monte Carlo based ray tracing simulations for various aspect ratios and convex geometries. With this framework we present a comprehensive analysis of the influence of the geometrical properties of high aspect ratio structures as well as of the particle sticking probability on the neutral particle flux.

A simple and robust scheme is proposed for the fabrication of nanoscale (20 nm line width) and high-aspect-ratio (9:1) structures by using modulus-tunable UV curable epoxy resists. Additionally, the ability to control the Young’s modulus of the imprinted material from hard to rigiflex using these epoxy resists is demonstrated. The physical properties of the new epoxy resists were controlled by adjusting the ratio of bisphenol F-type epoxy resin and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber-based epoxy resin in the formulation of the resist. The mechanical properties of the resist were tuned to obtain various aspect ratios as well as mold flexibility for conformal contact over non-planar surfaces and large areas. In order to reduce the line width of the imprinted patterns, a process to conformally coat the mold structure by atomic layer deposition of alumina was also developed. Narrow lines with high-aspect-ratio features and with very low defect density were achieved via the new approach and the high mechanical strength of the new resist formulation.

We have observed the HN13C J=1-0 and DNC J=1-0 lines toward 18 massive clumps, including infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) and high-mass protostellar objects (HMPOs), by using the Nobeyama Radio Observatory 45 m telescope. We have found that the HN13C emission is stronger than the DNC emission toward all the observed sources. The averaged DNC/HNC ratio is indeed lower toward the observed high-mass sources (0.009\\pm0.005) than toward the low-mass starless and star-forming cores (0.06). The kinetic temperature derived from the NH3 (J, K) = (1, 1) and (2, 2) line intensities is higher toward the observed high-mass sources than toward the low-mass cores. However the DNC/HNC ratio of some IRDCs involving the Spitzer 24 {\\mu}m sources is found to be lower than that of HMPOs, although the kinetic temperature of the IRDCs is lower than that of the HMPOs. This implies that the DNC/HNC ratio does not depend only on the current kinetic temperature. With the aid of chemical model simulations, we discuss how the DNC/HNC ratio ...

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Spacecraft designed for missions beyond low earth orbit (LEO) face a difficult thermal control challenge: they are required to reject a high heat load to warm...

The predictability, diversity and programmability of DNA make it a leading candidate for the design of functional electronic devices that use single molecules, yet its electron transport properties have not been fully elucidated. This is primarily because of a poor understanding of how the structure of DNA determines its electron transport. Here, we demonstrate a DNA-based molecular rectifier constructed by site-specific intercalation of small molecules (coralyne) into a custom-designed 11-base-pair DNA duplex. Measured current-voltage curves of the DNA-coralyne molecular junction show unexpectedly large rectification with a rectification ratio of about 15 at 1.1 V, a counter-intuitive finding considering the seemingly symmetrical molecular structure of the junction. A non-equilibrium Green's function-based model-parameterized by density functional theory calculations-revealed that the coralyne-induced spatial asymmetry in the electron state distribution caused the observed rectification. This inherent asymmetry leads to changes in the coupling of the molecular HOMO-1 level to the electrodes when an external voltage is applied, resulting in an asymmetric change in transmission.

The authors report on the structural and electrical properties of TiN/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/TiN metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitor structures in submicron three-dimensional (3D) trench geometries with an aspect ratio of ∼30. A simplified process route was employed where the three layers for the MIM stack were deposited using atomic layer deposition (ALD) in a single run at a process temperature of 250 °C. The TiN top and bottom electrodes were deposited via plasma-enhanced ALD using a tetrakis(dimethylamino)titanium precursor. 3D trench devices yielded capacitance densities of 36 fF/μm{sup 2} and quality factors >65 at low frequency (200 Hz), with low leakage current densities (<3 nA/cm{sup 2} at 1 V). These devices also show strong optical iridescence which, when combined with the covert embedded capacitance, show potential for system in package (SiP) anticounterfeiting applications.

The long-term dynamics of the geostationary Earth orbits (GEO) is revisited through the application of canonical perturbation theory. We consider a Hamiltonian model accounting for all major perturbations: geopotential at order and degree two, lunisolar perturbations with a realistic model for the Sun and Moon orbits, and solar radiation pressure. The long-term dynamics of the GEO region has been studied both numerically and analytically, in view of the relevance of such studies to the issue of space debris or to the disposal of GEO satellites. Past studies focused on the orbital evolution of objects around a nominal solution, hereafter called the forced equilibrium solution, which shows a particularly strong dependence on the area-to-mass ratio. Here, we i) give theoretical estimates for the long-term behavior of such orbits, and ii) we examine the nature of the forced equilibrium itself. In the lowest approximation, the forced equilibrium implies motion with a constant non-zero average `forced eccentricity'...

Theoretical estimates of supersonic nozzle performance have been compared to experimental test data for nozzles with an area ratio of 100:1 conical and 300:1 optimum contour, and 300:1 nozzles cut off at 200:1 and 100:1. These tests were done on a Hughes Aircraft Company 5 lbf monopropellant hydrazine thruster with chamber pressures ranging from 25 to 135 psia. The analytic method used is the conventional inviscid method of characteristic with correction for laminar boundary layer displacement and drag. Replacing the 100:1 conical nozzle with the 300:1 contoured nozzle resulted in an improvement in thrust performance of 0.74 percent at chamber pressure of 25 psia to 2.14 percent at chamber pressure of 135 psia. The data is significant because it is experimental verification that conventional nozzle design techniques are applicable even where the boundary layer is laminar and displaces as much as 35 percent of the flow at the nozzle exit plane.

Noise and flow data have been acquired for a 16:1 aspect ratio rectangular nozzle exhausting near a simple surface at the NASA Glenn Research Center as part of an ongoing effort to understand, model, and predict the noise produced by current and future concept aircraft employing a tightly integrated engine airframe designs. The particular concept under consideration in this experiment is a blended-wing-body airframe powered by a series of electric fans exhausting through slot nozzle over an aft deck. The exhaust Mach number and surface length were parametrically varied during the test. Far-field noise data were acquired for all nozzle surface geometries and exhaust flow conditions. Phased-array noise source localization data and in-flow pressure data were also acquired for a subset of the isolated (no surface) and surface configurations; these measurements provide data that have proven useful for modeling the jet-surface interaction noise source and the surface effect on the jet-mixing noise in round jets. A summary of the nozzle surface geometry, flow conditions tested, and data collected are presented.

A miniaturized Cassegrainian-type concentrator solar array concept for space applications is described. In-orbit cell operating temperatures near 80 C are achieved with purely passive cell cooling and a net concentration ratio of 100. A multiplicity of miniaturized, rigid solar cell concentrator subassemblies are electrically interconnected in conventional fashion and mounted into rigid frames to form concentrator solar panel assemblies approximately 14-mm thick. A plurality of such interconnected panels forms a stowable and deployable solar cell blanket. It is projected that for 20% efficient silicon cells an array of 500 kW beginning-of-life output capability, including orbiter cradle structures, can be transported by a single shuttle orbiter flight into low earth orbit. In-orbit array specific performance is calculated to be approximately 100 W/sq m and 20 W/kg, including all stowage, deployment and array figure control equipment designed for a 30-year orbital life. Higher efficiency gallium arsenide and multiple band gap solar cells will improve these performance factors correspondingly.

Two features of the silicon concentrator solar cell are addressed which affect output at high concentration levels. The first is the development of narrow but high electroplated grid lines with improved conductivity. The object is a reduction in cell series resistance without increase in shadowing. This goal is accomplished by electroplating through a thick photo resist mask to produce lines .7 mil wide by .7 mil high. Advance pulse plating techniques are combined with pure silver plating baths to produce a deposit conductivity equal to the bulk silver conductivity (a 1.5 to 2 X improvement over conventional silver plating). The second feature is a double diffused selectively textured front surface. This development employs a deep diffusion in the silicon under the grid lines. Only the non grid line open area is selectively texture etched removing the deep junction. This open textured area is then given a second shallow diffusion for optimum cell efficiency. This selective procedure maintains the original highly polished wafer surface under the grid lines so that high resolution narrow grid lines are possible. The double diffusion protects the junction from metal diffusion while enabling the optimum shallow junction in the illuminated regions. Combining these two features has produced a large area concentrator cells (8 cm/sup 2/) with peak efficiency above 16% and exhibiting a broad peak efficiency extending from 50 to 175 suns above 15%.

A printed two-dipole array antenna with a high front-back ratio is proposed for ultra-high-frequency (UHF) radio-frequency identification handheld readers. The proposed antenna is a parasitic dual-element array with the ends of both elements folded back towards each other for additional coupling...

comprehensively study the interaction between graphene and a microring resonator, and its influence on the optical modulation depth. We demonstrate graphene-silicon microring devices showing a high modulation depth of 12.5 dB with a relatively low bias voltage of 8.8 V. On-off electro-optical switching......Graphene opens up for novel optoelectronic applications thanks to its high carrier mobility, ultra-large absorption bandwidth, and extremely fast material response. In particular, the opportunity to control optoelectronic properties through tuning of the Fermi level enables electro-optical...... modulation, optical-optical switching, and other optoelectronics applications. However, achieving a high modulation depth remains a challenge because of the modest graphene-light interaction in the graphene-silicon devices, typically, utilizing only a monolayer or few layers of graphene. Here, we...

Six coannular plug nozzle configurations having inverted velocity and temperature profiles, and a baseline convergent conical nozzle were tested for simulated flight acoustic evaluation in General Electric's Anechoic Free-Jet Acoustic Facility. The nozzles were tested over a range of test conditions that are typical of a Variable Cycle Engine for application to advanced high speed aircraft. The outer stream radius ratio for most of the configurations was 0.853, and the inner-stream-outer-stream area ratio was tested in the range of 0.54. Other variables investigated were the influence of bypass struts, a simple noncontoured convergent-divergent outer stream nozzle for forward quadrant shock noise control, and the effects of varying outer stream radius and inner-stream-to-outer-stream velocity ratios on the flight noise signatures of the nozzles. It was found that in simulated flight, the high-radius-ratio coannular plug nozzles maintain their jet noise and shock noise reduction features previously observed in static testing. The presence of nozzle bypass structs will not significantly effect the acoustic noise reduction features of a General Electric-type nozzle design. A unique coannular plug nozzle flight acoustic spectral prediction method was identified and found to predict the measured results quite well. Special laser velocimeter and acoustic measurements were performed which have given new insight into the jet and shock noise reduction mechanisms of coannular plug nozzles with regard to identifying further beneficial research efforts.

Full Text Available The sequence of the genome of Pseudomonas fluorescens F113 has shown the presence of multiple traits relevant for rhizosphere colonization and plant growth promotion. Among these traits are denitrification and chemotactic motility. Besides aerobic growth, F113 is able to grow anaerobically using nitrate and nitrite as final electron acceptors. F113 is able to perform swimming motility under aerobic conditions and under anaerobic conditions when nitrate is used as the electron acceptor. However, nitrite can not support swimming motility. Regulation of swimming motility is similar under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, since mutants that are hypermotile under aerobic conditions, such as gacS, sadB, kinB, algU and wspR, are also hypermotile under anaerobic conditions. However, chemotactic behavior is different under aerobic and denitrification conditions. Unlike most pseudomonads, the F113 genome encode three complete chemotaxis systems, Che1, Che2 and Che3. Mutations in each of the cheA genes of the three Che systems has shown that the three systems are functional and independent. Mutation of the cheA1 gene completely abolished swimming motility both under aerobic and denitrification conditions. Mutation of the cheA2 gene, showed only a decrease in swimming motility under both conditions, indicating that this system is not essential for chemotactic motility but is necessary for optimal motility. Mutation of the cheA3 gene abolished motility under denitrification conditions but only produced a decrease in motility under aerobic conditions. The three Che systems proved to be implicated in competitive rhizosphere colonization, being the cheA1 mutant the most affected.

We report the identification of McpS as the specific chemoreceptor for 6 tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediates and butyrate in Pseudomonas putida. The analysis of the bacterial mutant deficient in mcpS and complementation assays demonstrate that McpS is the only chemoreceptor of TCA cycle intermediates in the strain under study. TCA cycle intermediates are abundantly present in root exudates, and taxis toward these compounds is proposed to facilitate the access to carbon sources. McpS has an unusually large ligand-binding domain (LBD) that is un-annotated in InterPro and is predicted to contain 6 helices. The ligand profile of McpS was determined by isothermal titration calorimetry of purified recombinant LBD (McpS-LBD). McpS recognizes TCA cycle intermediates but does not bind very close structural homologues and derivatives like maleate, aspartate, or tricarballylate. This implies that functional similarity of ligands, such as being part of the same pathway, and not structural similarity is the primary element, which has driven the evolution of receptor specificity. The magnitude of chemotactic responses toward these 7 chemoattractants, as determined by qualitative and quantitative chemotaxis assays, differed largely. Ligands that cause a strong chemotactic response (malate, succinate, and fumarate) were found by differential scanning calorimetry to increase significantly the midpoint of protein unfolding (T(m)) and unfolding enthalpy (DeltaH) of McpS-LBD. Equilibrium sedimentation studies show that malate, the chemoattractant that causes the strongest chemotactic response, stabilizes the dimeric state of McpS-LBD. In this respect clear parallels exist to the Tar receptor and other eukaryotic receptors, which are discussed.

A near miss is a failure that was close to a win. In this paper we analyze the primary documents associated with a case that was brought before the Nevada Gaming Commission in 1988. This case resulted in the 1989 ruling that the proprietary computer algorithms used by one slot machine manufacturer to create a high number of near misses on the…

Commercial wireless communication technologies stemmed mostly from the research done through and after the Second World War as outlined in Chapter 1. Earlier systems were intended for military applications, hence had very high performance and were very expensive and bulky. Later, with the dawn of co

Full Text Available Characteristic of progressive destructive periodontal tissue in Aggressive Periodontitis is a features of disruption of the host-homeostasis as the results of imbalance between host response and specific bacterial pathogenic which presents at gingival sulcus. The objective of this study was to evaluate netrophil function of Aggressive periodontitis molecularly by means of gen polimorphism of Formyl Peptide Receptor (FPR1 at the surface of netrophil cell, the level of IL-8 and netrophil chemotactic. The results of the study can be used as an early detection, prevention or to arrest tissue destruction and to restore a health-associated homeostasis in order to get better prognosis of Aggressive Periodontitis. The study was conducted during 20 months in Periodontic Clinic Dental Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry, Padjadjaran University, Genetica Moleculer Medical Laboratory of Research Institution Padjadjaran University Bandung. Research design used case control methode and sample selection is done in concecutive sampling of 32 aggressive periodontitis patients and 29 non aggressive periodontitis patients who were included in the inclusion criteria. Research materials were venous blood and gingival crevicular fluid. PCR-Sequensing methode was used to asses of gene FPR1 Polimorphism. ELISA methode was used to measure IL-8 level in gingival crevicular fluid, and Human CD66abce Microbead Kit by MACS Separation methode was used to asses netrophil chemotactic. Chi-square test, Fisher’s exact, unpaired t tests were employed to analyse the differences of characteristic, allele frequencies and genotypic, bivariate analysis to analyse of risk factors and biserial point correlation to analyse correlation between risk factors. The results showed the existence of c576T>C>G gene FPR1 polymorphism 5.040 time-fold (p=0.006; OR=5.040 while the down regulation of IL-8( ≤0.064 pg/µl is 34.5 times-fold of having aggressive periodontitis (OR=34, and c576T

Complete filling of a deep recessed structure with a second material is a challenge in many areas of nanotechnology fabrication. A newly discovered superconformal coating method, applicable in chemical vapor deposition systems that utilize a precursor in combination with a co-reactant, can solve this problem. However, filling is a dynamic process in which the trench progressively narrows and the aspect ratio (AR) increases. This reduces species diffusion within the trench and may drive the component partial pressures out of the regime for superconformal coating. We therefore derive two theoretical models that can predict the possibility for filling. First, we recast the diffusion-reaction equation for the case of a sidewall with variable taper angle. This affords a definition of effective AR, which is larger than the nominal AR due to the reduced species transport. We then derive the coating profile, both for superconformal and for conformal coating. The critical (most difficult) step in the filling process occurs when the sidewalls merge at the bottom of the trench to form the V shape. Experimentally, for the Mg(DMADB)2/H2O system and a starting AR = 9, this model predicts that complete filling will not be possible, whereas experimentally we do obtain complete filling. We then hypothesize that glancing-angle, long-range transport of species may be responsible for the better than predicted filling. To account for the variable range of species transport, we construct a ballistic transport model. This incorporates the incident flux from outside the structure, cosine law re-emission from surfaces, and line-of-sight transport between internal surfaces. We cast the transport probability between all positions within the trench into a matrix that represents the redistribution of flux after one cycle of collisions. Matrix manipulation then affords a computationally efficient means to determine the steady-state flux distribution and growth rate for a given taper angle. The

This paper describes a collaborative and cost-shared approach to reducing fuel burn under the NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation project. NASA and General Electric (GE) Aviation are working together aa an integrated team to obtain compressor aerodynamic data that is mutually beneficial to both NASA and GE Aviation. The objective of the High OPR Compressor Task is to test a single stage then two stages of an advanced GE core compressor using state-of-the-art research instrumentation to investigate the loss mechanisms and interaction effects of embedded transonic highly-loaded compressor stages. This paper presents preliminary results from NASA's in-house multistage computational code, APNASA, in preparation for this advanced transonic compressor rig test.

We demonstrate that the sensitivity of high-precision pulsar timing experiments will be ultimately limited by the broadband intensity modulation that is intrinsic to the pulsar's stochastic radio signal. That is, as the peak flux of the pulsar approaches that of the system equivalent flux density, neither greater antenna gain nor increased instrumental bandwidth will improve timing precision. These conclusions proceed from an analysis of the covariance matrix used to characterise residual pulse profile fluctuations following the template matching procedure for arrival time estimation. We perform such an analysis on 25 hours of high-precision timing observations of the closest and brightest millisecond pulsar, PSR J0437-4715. In these data, the standard deviation of the post-fit arrival time residuals is approximately four times greater than that predicted by considering the system equivalent flux density, mean pulsar flux and the effective width of the pulsed emission. We develop a technique based on principa...

A simple analytical mode for the implosion of very thin spherical shell targets filled with fuel gas is developed. The shock trajectory in the fuel is described consistently with the shell acceleration, and two dimensionless parameters which govern the complete dynamics are found. The model applies to recent experiments focused on high neutron yield and provides a simple description of the main physical phenomena, which is in agreement with simulation and experiments. (author).

A pictorial history of NASA development of advanced engine technologies for reducing environmental emissions and increasing performance from the 1970s to 2000s is presented. The goals of the Subsonic Fixed Wing Program portion of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program are discussed, along with the areas of investigation currently being pursued by the Ultra High Bypass Partnership Element of the Subsonic Fixed Wing Program.

The flat-fielding technique was used to reduce fixed pattern noise in high dispersion IUE spectra, producing improvements in S/N of typically 40 percent compared with un-flat-fielded summed spectra. Weak spectral features may be more reliably identified. Such improvements are noted for specially obtained multiply-exposed images and for singly-exposed images taken from the IUE archives. However it is unclear if the technique is usable or as effective for all spectra.

This book describes synergetic innovation opportunities offered by combining the field of power conversion with the field of integrated circuit (IC) design. The authors demonstrate how integrating circuits enables increased operation frequency, which can be exploited in power converters to reduce drastically the size of the discrete passive components. The authors introduce multiple power converter circuits, which are very compact as result of their high level of integration. First, the limits of high-power-density low-voltage monolithic switched-capacitor DC-DC conversion are investigated to enable on-chip power granularization. AC-DC conversion from the mains to a low voltage DC is discussed, enabling an efficient and compact, lower-power auxiliary power supply to take over the power delivery during the standby mode of mains-connected appliances, allowing the main power converter of these devices to be shut down fully. Discusses high-power-density monolithic switched-capacitor DC-DC conversion in bulk CMOS,...

Invariance under the charge, parity, time-reversal (CPT) transformation$^{1}$ is one of the fundamental symmetries of the standard model of particle physics. This CPT invariance implies that the fundamental properties of antiparticles and their matter-conjugates are identical, apart from signs. There is a deep link between CPT invariance and Lorentz symmetry—that is, the laws of nature seem to be invariant under the symmetry transformation of spacetime—although it is model dependent$^{2}$. A number of high-precision CPT and Lorentz invariance tests—using a co-magnetometer, a torsion pendulum and a maser, among others—have been performed$^{3}$, but only a few direct high-precision CPT tests that compare the fundamental properties of matter and antimatter are available$^{4, 5, 6, 7, 8}$. Here we report high-precision cyclotron frequency comparisons of a single antiproton and a negatively charged hydrogen ion (H$^−$) carried out in a Penning trap system. From 13,000 frequency measurements we compare th...

In February 2017, aerodynamic and acoustic testing was completed on a scale-model high bypass ratio turbofan rotor, R4, in an internal flow component test facility. The objective of testing was to determine the aerodynamic and acoustic impact of fan casing treatments designed to reduce noise. The baseline configuration consisted of the R4 rotor with a hardwall fan case. Data are presented for a baseline acoustic run with fan exit instrumentation removed to give a clean acoustic configuration.

for a two-dimensional scatterer. We construct a simple resonator model which predicts the wavelength-dependent extinction, scattering, and absorption cross section of the trench and compare the model findings with full numerical simulations. Both extinction and scattering cross sections are mainly...... determined by the wavelength and can reach highly supergeometric values. At wavelengths where the metal exhibits near perfect electrical conductor behavior, such trenches lend themselves to be used as self-normalizing scatterers, as their scattering cross section is independent of their geometry and depend...... and two-photon luminescence that the resonant behavior of the vertical trenches is preserved....

Scalable and cost effective patterning of polymer structures and their surface textures is essential to engineer material properties such as liquid wetting and dry adhesion, and to design artificial biological interfaces. Further, fabrication of high-aspect-ratio microstructures often requires controlled deep-etching methods or high-intensity exposure. We demonstrate that carbon nanotube (CNT) composites can be used as master molds for fabrication of high-aspect-ratio polymer microstructures having anisotropic nanoscale textures. The master molds are made by growth of vertically aligned CNT patterns, capillary densification of the CNTs using organic solvents, and capillary-driven infiltration of the CNT structures with SU-8. The composite master structures are then replicated in SU-8 using standard PDMS transfer molding methods. By this process, we fabricated a library of replicas including vertical micro-pillars, honeycomb lattices with sub-micron wall thickness and aspect ratios exceeding 50:1, and microwells with sloped sidewalls. This process enables batch manufacturing of polymer features that capture complex nanoscale shapes and textures, while requiring only optical lithography and conventional thermal processing.

In this work, we demonstrate a full process for fabricating high aspect ratio diffraction optics for extreme ultraviolet lithography. The transmissive optics consists in nanometer scale tungsten patterns standing on flat, ultrathin (100 nm) and highly transparent (>85% at 13.5 nm) silicon membranes (diameter of 1 mm). These tungsten patterns were achieved using an innovative pseudo-Bosch etching process based on an inductively coupled plasma ignited in a mixture of SF6 and C4F8. Circular ultra-thin Si membranes were fabricated through a state-of-the-art method using direct-bonding with thermal difference. The silicon membranes were sputter-coated with a few hundred nanometers (100-300 nm) of stress-controlled tungsten and a very thin layer of chromium. Nanoscale features were written in a thin resist layer by electron beam lithography and transferred onto tungsten by plasma etching of both the chromium hard mask and the tungsten layer. This etching process results in highly anisotropic tungsten features at room temperature. The homogeneity and the aspect ratio of the advanced pattern transfer on the membranes were characterized with scanning electron microscopy after focus ion beam milling. An aspect ratio of about 6 for 35 nm size pattern is successfully obtained on a 1 mm diameter 100 nm thick Si membrane. The whole fabrication process is fully compatible with standard industrial semiconductor technology.

An improved spacer formation technique was proposed and developed to fabricate poly-Si fin field-effect transistors (FinFETs) with an ultra-high aspect ratio. The as-demonstrated FinFETs have a fin channel with a width and height of 22 nm and 230 nm, respectively, corresponding to an aspect ratio of 10.5. The electrical and temperature properties of the FinFETs are described in detail in this paper. The poly-Si FinFETs exhibit a steep subthreshold swing (196 mV/dec), a low leakage current (∼10-14 A), a high on/off current ratio (2.2 × 107 at VDS = 0.1 V), and a low drain-induced barrier lowering effect (0.28 V). The excellent switching characteristics are attributed to the ultrathin channel body and the multi-gate structure combined with high-k Al2O3 dielectric. Furthermore, the electron field-effective mobility increases as the temperature increases. An analytical fitting model was derived and was utilized to account for this phenomenon. The fitting results indicate that the positive temperature coefficient originates from the grain boundary-controlled mechanism in the low gate voltage regime.

Full Text Available The need of a continuous improvement in gas turbine efficiency for propulsion and power generation, as well as the more demanding operating conditions and power control required to these machines, still ask for great efforts in the design and analysis of the high pressure section of the turbo-expander. To get detailed insights and improve the comprehension of the flow physics, a wide experimental campaign has been performed in the last ten years at Politecnico di Milano on the unsteady aerodynamics of a high-pressure turbine stage considering several operating conditions. This paper presents and discusses the experimental results obtained for the stage operating with different expansion ratios and rotor loading. The turbine stage under study is representative of a modern high-pressure turbine and can be operated in both subsonic and transonic conditions. The experimental tools applied for the current research represents the state of the art when unsteady investigations are foreseen. The detailed flow field, the blade–rows interaction and the overall performance are described and discussed; efforts have been devoted to the discussion of the various contribution to the overall stage efficiency. The direct effects of the expansion ratio, affecting the Reynolds and the Mach numbers, have been highlighted and quantified; similarly, the indirect effects, accounting for a change in the rotor loading, have been commented and quantified as well, thanks to a dedicated set of experiments where different rotor loadings at the same expansion ratio have been prescribed.

High-energy neutrinos from decays of mesons, produced in collisions of cosmic-ray particles with air nuclei, form unavoidable background for detection of astrophysical neutrinos. More precise calculations of the high-energy neutrino spectrum are required since measurements in the IceCube experiment reach the intriguing energy range where a contribution of the prompt neutrinos and/or astrophysical ones should be uncovered. The calculation of muon and electron neutrino fluxes in the energy range 100 GeV - 10 PeV is performed for three hadronic models, QGSJET II, SIBYll 2.1 and Kimel & Mokhov, taking into consideration the "knee" of the cosmic-ray spectrum. All calculations are compared with the atmospheric neutrino measurements by Frejus, AMANDA, IceCube and ANTARES. The prompt neutrino flux predictions obtained with the quark-gluon string model (QGSM) for the charm production by Kaidalov & Piskunova do not contradict to the measurements and upper limits on the astrophysical muon neutrino flux obtained ...

Thermal management issues necessitate the use of fuel as a heat sink for gas turbine and liquid rocket engines. There are certain benefits to using heated fuels, namely, increased sensible enthalpy, increased combustion efficiency, a decrease in certain emissions, and enhanced vaporization characteristics. However, the thermal and pressure enviornment inside an injector can result in the fuel flashing to vapor. Depending on the injector design, this can have deleterious effects on engine performance. As interest in heated fuels inreases, it is important to understand what occurs in the flow path of an injector under flashing conditions. At the High Pressure Laboratory at Purdue University's Maurice J. Zucrow Laboritories, a test rig was designed and built to give visual access into the flow path of a 2-D slot injector. The rig is capable of pressurizing and heating a liquid to superheated conditions and utilizes a pneumatically actuated piston to pusth the liquid through the slot injector. Methanol was chosen as a surrogate fuel to allow for high levels of superheat at relatively low temperatures. Testing was completed with acrylic and quartz injectors of varying L/DH. Flashing conditions inside the injector flow path were induced via a combination of heating and back pressure adjustments. Volume flow rate, pressure measurements, and temperature measurements were made which allowed the discharge characteristics, the level of superheat, and other parameters to be calculated and compared. To give a basis for comparison the flashing results are compared to the flow through the injector under cavitating conditions. Cavitation and flashing appear to be related phenomena and this relationship is shown. Bubble formation under cavitating or flashing conditions is observed to attenuate the injector's discharge characteristics. High speed videos of the flow field were also collected. Several flow regimes and flow structures, unique to these regimes, were observed. A

The TP73 gene transcript is alternatively spliced and translated into the transcriptionally active (TAp73) or inactive (ΔNp73) isoforms, with opposite effects on the expression of p53 target genes and on apoptosis induction. The imbalance between ΔNp73 and TAp73 may contribute to tumorigenesis and resistance to chemotherapy in human cancers, including hematologic malignancies. In acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), both isoforms are expressed, but their relevance in determining response to therapy and contribution to leukemogenesis remains unknown. Here, we provide the first evidence that a higher ΔNp73/TAp73 RNA expression ratio is associated with lower survival, lower disease-free survival, and higher risk of relapse in patients with APL homogeneously treated with all-trans retinoic acid and anthracycline-based chemotherapy, according to the International Consortium on Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (IC-APL) study. Cox proportional hazards modeling showed that a high ΔNp73/TAp73 ratio was independently associated with shorter overall survival (hazard ratio, 4.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.64-12.2; P = .0035). Our data support the hypothesis that the ΔNp73/TAp73 ratio is an important determinant of clinical response in APL and may offer a therapeutic target for enhancing chemosensitivity in blast cells.

The mechanisms governing secondary ageing (structural transformations occurring at low temperature after a heat treatment at higher temperature) were investigated by combined measurements of positron lifetimes, Vickers microhardness measurements and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) on a laboratory alloy (Al-4.5 wt.% Cu-0.56 wt.% Mg). The results show that hardening occurs at a much slower rate than in case of primary ageing at RT. The positron lifetime data suggest that the hardening rate is controlled by slow release of vacancies from Cu-rich clusters formed during the initial high temperature treatment. The hardening stage is concomitant with an increase of the positron lifetime, and has probably the same origin, which is the formation of solute clusters containing vacancies and Mg as essential components. The formation at low temperature of new structures is also demonstrated by DSC. (orig.)

An atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium Ar micro-plasma generated inside a micro-tube with plasma radius of 3 μm and length of 2.7 cm is reported. The electron density of the plasma plume estimated from the broadening of the Ar emission line reaches as high as 3 × 10(16) cm(-3). The electron temperature obtained from CR model is 1.5 ev while the gas temperature of the plasma estimated from the N2 rotational spectrum is close to room temperature. The sheath thickness of the plasma could be close to the radius of the plasma. The ignition voltages of the plasma increase one order when the radius of the dielectric tube is decreased from 1 mm to 3 μm.

The vortex unsteadiness around a hemisphere-cylinder body at AOAs of 10 to 80 deg was studied using Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD). The Reynolds number (Re) based on the cylinder diameter of the body is 22000. The results show that vortex oscillations exist over the forebody at the whole range of AOAs. The oscillation is characterized by alternate oscillations of a forebody leeward vortex pair up and down and in-phase swings from side to side. The vortex shedding can be found at the afterbody as AOAs more than 20o, and the shedding region moves forwards gradually with AOAs increasing, and accordingly the region of vortex oscillations contracts and eventually only exists near the nose as AOAs sufficiently high. The vortex oscillation and shedding all induce fluctuating side forces along the body, but the ones from vortex oscillations are larger. The frequencies of vortex oscillations are similar to the ones of vortex shedding at the AOAs of 10o-40o with St=0.085-0.12, in which...

Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs) are temporal and infrastructure-independent wireless networks that consist of mobile nodes. For instance, a MANET can be used as an emergent network for communication among people when a disaster occurred. Since there is no central server in the network, each node has to find out its desired information (objects) by itself. Constructing a mobile Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network over the MANET can support the object search. Some researchers proposed construction schemes of mobile P2P networks, such as Ekta and MADPastry. They integrated DHT-based application-layer routing and network-layer routing to increase search efficiency. Furthermore, MADPastry proposed a clustering method which groups the overlay nodes according to their physical distance. However, it has also been pointed out that the search efficiency deteriorates in highly dynamic environments where nodes quickly move around. In this paper, we focus on route disappearances in the network layer which cause the deterioration of search efficiency. We describe the detail of this problem and evaluate quantitatively it through simulation experiments. We extend MADPastry by introducing a method sharing objects among nodes in a cluster. Through simulation experiments, we show that the proposed method can achieve up to 2.5 times larger success rate of object search than MADPastry.

The research on dynamic performance of high bypass turbofan engines includes studies on inlets, turbomachinery and the total engine system operating with air-water mixture; the water may be in vapor, droplet, or film form, and their combinations. Prediction codes (WISGS, WINCOF, WINCOF-1, WINCLR, and Transient Engine Performance Code) for performance changes, as well as changes in blade-casing clearance, have been established and demonstrated in application to actual, generic engines. In view of the continuous changes in water distribution in turbomachinery, the performance of both components and the total engine system must be determined in a time-dependent mode; hence, the determination of clearance changes also requires a time-dependent approach. In general, the performance and clearances changes cannot be scaled either with respect to operating or ingestion conditions. Removal of water prior to phase change is the most effective means of avoiding ingestion effects. Sufficient background has been established to perform definitive, full scale tests on a set of components and a complete engine to establish engine control and operability with various air-water vapor-water mixtures.

Full Text Available We have designed and fabricated a novel chemotactic gradient Labchip for studying cell migration quantitatively. Owing to the great potential of garlic and its preparations in developing antiinflammatory drugs, the aim of the present study is to investigate the effect of garlic oil on the locomotion of a neutrophil-like cell by measuring the dynamic features of cell migration including migration direction, average migration speed, chemotactic index (CI, and motility index (MI with the newly designed Labchip. We found that garlic oil treatment lowered the values of CI and MI and reduced the average speed of cell migration from 13 to 8 μm/min. The results indicate that garlic oil is a potential inhibitor for neutrophil-like cell migration and chemotactic responsiveness. By comparing with the effects of nocodazole and cytochalasin B, we also suggest that the antiinflammatory activity exhibited by garlic oil was mainly through inhibiting the assembly-disassembly processes of the cytoskeleton.

Measuring neutrons in the presence of high gamma-ray fluence is a challenge with multi-particle detectors. Organic liquid scintillators such as the EJ-309 are capable of accurate pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) but the chance for particle misclassification is not negligible for some applications. By varying the distance from an EJ-309 scintillator to a strong-gamma-ray source and keeping a weak-neutron source at a fixed position, various gamma-to-neutron ratios can be measured and PSD performance can be quantified. Comparing neutron pulse-height distributions allows for pulse-height specific PSD evaluation, and quantification and visualization of deviation from {sup 252}Cf alone. Even with the addition of the misclassified gamma-rays, the PSD is effective in separating particles so that neutron count rate can be predicted with less than 10% error up to a gamma-to-neutron ratio of almost 650. For applications which can afford a reduction in neutron detection efficiency, PSD can be sufficiently effective in discriminating particles to measure a weak neutron source in a high gamma-ray background. -- Highlights: •We measure neutrons in a high photon background with EJ-309 liquid scintillators. •A low threshold is used to test the limits of particle discrimination. •A weak neutron signal is detectable with a gamma/neutron ratio as high as 770. •Photon pileup most commonly adds to error in classification of neutrons. •Neutron count rates are within 10% of expected rate under high gamma background.

It is well established that prolonged electrical stimulation of brain tissue causes massive release of ATP in the extracellular space. The released ATP and the products of its hydrolysis, such as ADP and adenosine, become the main elements mediating chemotactic sensitivity and motility of microglial cells via subsequent activation of P2Y2,12 as well as A3A and A2A adenosine receptors. The size of the sheath around the electrode formed by the microglial cells is an important criterion for the optimization of the parameters of electrical current delivered to brain tissue. Here, we study a purinergic signaling pathway underlying the chemotactic motion of microglia towards the implanted electrode during deep brain stimulation. We present a computational model describing formation of a stable aggregate around the implantation site due to the joint chemo-attractive action of ATP and ADP together with a mixed influence of extracellular adenosine. The model was built in accordance with the classical Keller-Segel approach and includes an equation for the cells' density as well as equations describing the hydrolysis of extracellular ATP via successive reaction steps ATP →ADP →AMP →adenosine. The results of our modeling allowed us to reveal the dependence of the width of the encapsulating layer around the electrode on the amount of ATP released due to permanent electrical stimulation. The dependences of the aggregates' size on the parameter governing the nonlinearity of interaction between extracellular adenosine and adenosine receptors are also analyzed.

The authors report the cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of the chemotactic receptor of Dictyostelium discoideum in partially purified plasma membranes. The protein kinase responsible for receptor phosphorylation is associated with this fraction and preferentially phosphorylates the ligand-occupied form of the receptor. 8-Azido({sup 32}P)cAMP labeling of the cell surface has shown that the cAMP receptor exists in two forms. A 45-kDa protein is predominant on unstimulated cells. cAMP stimulation results in an increased receptor phosphorylation such that the receptor migrates on NaDodSO{sub 4}/PAGE as a 47-kDa protein. Phosphorylation of the chemotactic receptor is not detected in membrane preparations unless cAMP is added to the incubation mixture. Only under those conditions is the phosphorylated 47-kDa form observed. The requirement for cAMP reflects the fact that the kinase involved preferentially uses the ligand-occupied receptor as a substrate. In vitro phosphorylation of the receptor does not involve tyrosine residues. The enzyme does not appear to be a cAMP- or cGMP-dependent protein kinase nor is it sensitive to guanine nucleotides, Ca{sup 2+}/calmodulin, Ca{sup 2+}/phospholipid, or EGTA. Similarities with the {beta}-adrenergic receptor protein kinase are discussed.

In order to study the role of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in the intra-peritoneal adhesion formation, 23 infertile patients undergoing laparoscopic operation were divided into two groups: experimental group including 12 patients with intra-peritoneal adhesion and control group including 11 patients without intra-peritoneal adhesion. Peritoneal fluid (PF) and peritoneum were collected from these patients during laparoscopic examination. The expression levels of MCP-l protein and MCP-1 mRNA were detected by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and dot blot analysis method respectively. It was found that the levels of MCP-1 protein in PF of the patients with peritoneal adhesion were significantly higher than in the control group (0. 44±0.11 ng/ml vs 0. 19+0. 09 ng/ml respectively, P＜0. 01 ). The level of MCP-1 mRNA in the peritoneum of the patients with peritoneal adhesion was significantly higher than in the control group (48.61±3.72 vs 19. 87±2.54 respectively, P＜0. 01). It was suggested that MCP-1 might play a role in the adhesion formation, and chemotactic cytokines expressing in the peritoneal mesothelial cells might be take part in the process.

The objective of this study was to examine whether acute aerobic exercise-mediated calprotectin in plasma would be associated with monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in healthy individuals. Eleven healthy participants, aged 18 to 30 years, were recruited to perform a 30-min bout of aerobic exercise at 75% maximal oxygen uptake. Acute aerobic exercise elicited a significant elevation across time in plasma calprotectin, MCP-1, MPO, and IL-6. Body mass index (BMI) was positively correlated with calprotectin area-under-the-curve with "respect to increase" (AUCi) and IL-6 AUCi. Furthermore, calprotectin AUCi was positively correlated with IL-6 AUCi and MPO AUCi, even after controlling for BMI. Although MPO AUCi was positively correlated with IL-6 AUCi, this relationship no longer existed after controlling for BMI. These results suggest that acute aerobic exercise could mediate innate immune response associated with calprotectin and its related leukocyte chemotactic and inflammatory mediators, especially in individuals with elevated BMI.

Historically, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) has a paradoxical role in cell motility, having been shown to both facilitate and inhibit actin cytoskeletal dynamics and cell migration. In an effort to understand this dichotomy, we show here that PKA is regulated in subcellular space during cell migration. Immunofluorescence microscopy and biochemical enrichment of pseudopodia showed that type II regulatory subunits of PKA and PKA activity are enriched in protrusive cellular structures formed during chemotaxis. This enrichment correlates with increased phosphorylation of key cytoskeletal substrates for PKA, including the vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) and the protein tyrosine phosphatase containing a PEST motif. Importantly, inhibition of PKA activity or its ability to interact with A kinase anchoring proteins inhibited the activity of the Rac GTPase within pseudopodia. This effect correlated with both decreased guanine nucleotide exchange factor activity and increased GTPase activating protein activity. Finally, inhibition of PKA anchoring, like inhibition of total PKA activity, inhibited pseudopod formation and chemotactic cell migration. These data demonstrate that spatial regulation of PKA via anchoring is an important facet of normal chemotactic cell movement.

Full Text Available We simulate the dynamics of a suspension of bacterial swimmers, which chemotactically sense gradients in either ambient or self-secreted attractants (e.g. nutrient or aspartate respectively, or in both. Unlike previous mean field models based on a set of continuum partial differential equations, our model resolves single swimmers and therefore incorporates stochasticity and effects due to fluctuations in the bacterial density field. The algorithm we use is simple enough that we can follow the evolution of colonies of up to over a million bacteria for timescales relevant to pattern formation for E. coli growing in semisolid medium such as agar, or in confined geometries. Our results confirm previous mean field results that the patterns observed experimentally can be reproduced with a model incorporating chemoattractant secretion, chemotaxis (towards gradients in the chemoattractant field, and bacterial reproduction. They also suggest that further experiments with bacterial strains chemotactically moving up both nutrient and secreted attractant field may yield yet more dynamical patterns.

Linear particle depolarization ratio is presented for three case studies from the NASA Langley airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar-2 HSRL-2). Particle depolarization ratio from lidar is an indicator of non-spherical particles and is sensitive to the fraction of non-spherical particles and their size. The HSRL-2 instrument measures depolarization at three wavelengths: 355, 532, and 1064 nm. The three measurement cases presented here include two cases of dust-dominated aerosol and one case of smoke aerosol. These cases have partial analogs in earlier HSRL-1 depolarization measurements at 532 and 1064 nm and in literature, but the availability of three wavelengths gives additional insight into different scenarios for non-spherical particles in the atmosphere. A case of transported Saharan dust has a spectral dependence with a peak of 0.30 at 532 nm with smaller particle depolarization ratios of 0.27 and 0.25 at 1064 and 355 nm, respectively. A case of aerosol containing locally generated wind-blown North American dust has a maximum of 0.38 at 1064 nm, decreasing to 0.37 and 0.24 at 532 and 355 nm, respectively. The cause of the maximum at 1064 nm is inferred to be very large particles that have not settled out of the dust layer. The smoke layer has the opposite spectral dependence, with the peak of 0.24 at 355 nm, decreasing to 0.09 and 0.02 at 532 and 1064 nm, respectively. The depolarization in the smoke case may be explained by the presence of coated soot aggregates. We note that in these specific case studies, the linear particle depolarization ratio for smoke and dust-dominated aerosol are more similar at 355 nm than at 532 nm, having possible implications for using the particle depolarization ratio at a single wavelength for aerosol typing.

Full Text Available Fe-Cu films with low and high Fe : Cu ratio have been produced from the electrolytes with different Fe ion concentrations at a constant deposition potential of −1400 mV versus saturated calomel electrode (SCE by electrodeposition technique onto indium tin oxide (ITO coated conducting glass substrates. It was observed that the variation of Fe ion concentration in the electrolyte had a very strong influence on the compositional, surface morphological, and microstructural properties of the Fe-Cu films. An increase in the Fe ion concentration within the plating bath increased the Fe content, consequently Fe : Cu ratio within the films. The crystallographic structure analysis showed that the Fe-Cu films had a mixture of face-centered cubic (fcc Cu and body centered cubic (bcc α-Fe phases. The average crystallite size decreased with the Fe ion concentration. The film electrodeposited from the electrolyte with low Fe ion concentration exhibited a morphology consisting of dendritic structures. However, the film morphology changed from dendritic structure to cauliflower-like structure at high Fe ion concentration. The surface roughness and grain size were found to decrease significantly with increasing Fe ion concentration in the electrolyte. The significant differences observed in the microstructural and morphological properties caused by the change of Fe ion concentration in the electrolyte were ascribed to the change of Fe : Cu ratio within the films.

The monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio has recently emerged as an indicator of inflammation and oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association of the monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio with postoperative atrial fibrillation and mortality in coronary artery bypass grafting. Six hundred and sixty-two patients who were in sinus rhythm preoperatively and who had isolated coronary artery bypass grafting were retrospectively included in the study. Patients who had atrial fibrillation in the early postoperative period were enrolled in group 1 ( n = 153); patients who remained in sinus rhythm in the early postoperative period were included in group 2 ( n = 509). The clinical and demographic data of the patients, biochemical and complete blood count parameters, preoperative monocyte count/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, and operative and postoperative data were recorded. Preoperative monocyte counts ( P = 0.0001), monocyte count/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio ( P = 0.0001) and C-reactive protein levels ( P = 0.0001) were significantly increased in group 1. In the first month, 8 patients in group 1 (5.2%) and 5 patients in group 2 (1.0%) died, which was statistically significant ( P = 0.003). In univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, an elevated preoperative monocyte count/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio ( P = 0.03) and C-reactive protein levels ( P = 0.0001) were predictors of postoperative atrial fibrillation. Preoperative monocyte counts ( P = 0.001), monocyte count/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio ( P = 0.0001) and the use of inotropic support ( P = 0.0001) were also predictors of mortality in the early postoperative period. We have observed that high preoperative monocyte count/ high-density lipoprotein ratio was associated with postoperative atrial fibrillation and mortality after coronary artery bypass grafting

Single phase flow friction factor of FC-72 and ethanol in mini-and micro-channels are experimentally investigated in the present study. High aspect ratio3 rectangular channels are selected, the hydraulic diameters of which are 571 µm, 762 µm and 1454 µm, and the aspect ratios are 20, 20 and 10 respectively. Degassed ethanol and FC-72 are used as working fluids. All the friction factors acquired in the 571 µm and 762 µm channels agree with the conventional friction theory within ±20%-±25%. In the 1454 µm channel, however, deviations from the conventional theory occur and a modified empirical correlation of friction factor as a function of Reynolds number is proposed. Early transition from laminar to transitional flow is captured. Besides, effects of liquid physical properties are discussed. Lower viscosity and higher liquid density are responsible for the higher friction factor of FC-72. The influence of liquid properties weakens as the Reynolds number increases.

A high aspect ratio slot flow (which emulates the gas leakage path in a gas turbine engine outer turbine air seal) is studied by use of a high aspect ratio slot using water as the working fluid. The cross section of the geometry is similar to a 'T', the slot being the vertical stroke and the main flow being the cross bar. A pressure gradient in the axial direction is created by blocking the main flow at a discreet location with an orifice plate (or blade tip simulator), located above the slot. Seven individually metered secondary flow injectors are located periodically along the bottom of the wall of the slot. Two slot widths, 1/8 and 1/4 inch, were investigated for length to width aspect ratios of 384 and 192 and height to width aspect ratios 33.2 and 16.6 respectively. Orifice plate pressure drops sufficient to give Reynolds numbers based upon half width of the slot, without secondary injection turned on, of 2350 and 4700 in the 1/8 inch slot and 4700 and 9400 in the 1/4 inch slot were run. Various secondary injection scenarios were added to the flow, the cases most studied being the no-injection and the all injectors flowing equal mass rates. Total injection rates for all seven injectors of 3.78 and 7.56 slot volumes per second were run. Laser velocimetry data and flow visualization pictures using fluorescein dye in the secondary flow are compared with computational results form the TEACH 3-D computer code. Major features and trends of the flow are captured by the computational model. Recommendations for further improvement of the numerical accuracy involves modification of the TEACH 3-D code to allow the 'slip condition' on all confining boundaries of the flow, or using a code which permits the 'slip condition' on all boundaries as a built-in option.

In this paper, a non-isolated DC/DC converter with high voltage ratio is proposed to allow the interface between a low voltage power source like fuel cell and a high voltage DC bus. To take into account the low voltage-high density characteristics of power sources, a cascaded structure composed of two sub-converters has been chosen and allows obtaining a high voltage ratio. The choice of each sub-converter is based on the requirements of the source and its performances. Consequently, we have chosen a three-interleaved boost converter as the 1st sub-converter whereas the 2nd sub-converter is a three-level boost converter. The control of the whole system is realized thanks to energetic trajectories planning based on flatness properties of the system. The control of both the current and the balance of voltage across the output serial capacitors of the three-level boost converter is ensured by non-linear controllers based on a new non-linear model. Experimental results allow validating the proposed power architecture and its associated control. (author)

The formation of a Through Silicon Via (TSV) includes a deep Si trench etching and the formation of an insulating layer along the high-aspect-ratio trench and the filling of a conductive material into the via hole. The isolation of the filling conductor from the silicon substrate becomes more important for higher frequencies due to the high coupling of the signal to the silicon. The importance of the oxide thickness on the via wall isolation can be verified using electromagnetic field simulators. To satisfy the needs on the Silicon dioxide deposition, a sub-atmospheric chemical vapor deposition (SA-CVD) process has been developed to deposit an isolation oxide to the walls of deep silicon trenches. The technique provides excellent step coverage of the 100 microm depth silicon trenches with the high aspect ratio of 20 and more. The developed technique allows covering the deep silicon trenches by oxide and makes the high isolation of TSVs from silicon substrate feasible which is the key factor for the performance of TSVs for mm-wave 3D packaging.

In this paper we provide an extensive analysis of the global dynamics of high-area-to-mass ratios geosynchronous (GEO) space debris, applying a recent technique developed by Cincotta and Simó [Cincotta, P.M., Simó, C.Simple tools to study global dynamics in non-axisymmetric galactic potentials-I. Astron. Astrophys. (147), 205-228, 2000.], Mean Exponential Growth factor of Nearby Orbits ( MEGNO), which provides an efficient tool to investigate both regular and chaotic components of the phase space. We compute a stability atlas, for a large set of near-geosynchronous space debris, by numerically computing the MEGNO indicator, to provide an accurate understanding of the location of stable and unstable orbits as well as the timescale of their exponential divergence in case of chaotic motion. The results improve the analysis presented in Breiter et al. [Breiter, S., Wytrzyszczak, I., Melendo, B. Long-term predictability of orbits around the geosynchronous altitude. Advances in Space Research 35, 1313-1317, 2005] notably by considering the particular case of high-area-to-mass ratios space debris. The results indicate that chaotic orbits regions can be highly relevant, especially for very high area-to-mass ratios. We then provide some numerical investigations and an analytical theory that lead to a detailed understanding of the resonance structures appearing in the phase space. These analyses bring to the fore a relevant class of secondary resonances on both sides of the well-known pendulum-like pattern of geostationary objects, leading to a complex dynamics.

Aerobic granule characteristic in sequencing batch reactors treating high-nitrogen digester supernatant was investigated at cycle lengths (t) of 6, 8 and 12 h with the COD/N ratios in the influent of 4.5 and 2.3. The biomass production (Y obs) correlated with the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in grams per COD removed. Denitrification efficiency significantly decreased as the amount of EPS in biomass increased, suggesting that organic assimilation in EPS hampers nitrogen removal. Granule hydrophobicity was highest at t of 8 h; the t has to be long enough to remove pollutants, but not so long that excessive biomass starvation causes extracellular protein consumption that decreases hydrophobicity. At a given t, reducing the COD/N ratio improved hydrophobicity that stimulates cell aggregation. At t of 6 h and the COD/N ratio of 2.3, the dominance of 0.5-1.0 mm granules favored simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and resulted in the highest nitrogen removal.

The main purpose of this study was the determination and comparison of anomalies in creatine (Cr) accumulation occurring within CA3 and DG areas of hippocampal formation as a result of two high-fat, carbohydrate-restricted ketogenic diets (KD) with different ketogenic ratio (KR). To reach this goal, Fourier transformed infrared microspectroscopy with synchrotron radiation source (SRFTIR microspectroscopy) was applied for chemical mapping of creatine absorption bands, occurring around 1304, 1398 and 2800 cm- 1. The samples were taken from three groups of experimental animals: control group (N) fed with standard laboratory diet, KD1 and KD2 groups fed with high-fat diets with KR 5:1 and 9:1 respectively. Additionally, the possible influence on the phosphocreatine (PhCr, the high energetic form of creatine) content was evaluated by comparative analysis of chemical maps obtained for creatine and for compounds containing phosphate groups which manifest in the spectra at the wavenumbers of around 1240 and 1080 cm- 1. Our results showed that KD2 strongly modifies the frequency of Cr inclusions in both analyzed hippocampal areas. Statistical analysis, performed with Mann-Whitney U test revealed increased accumulation of Cr within CA3 and DG areas of KD2 fed rats compared to both normal rats and KD1 experimental group. Moreover, KD2 diet may modify the frequency of PhCr deposits as well as the PhCr to Cr ratio.

A high aspect ratio supercritical wing with oscillating control surfaces is described. The semispan wing model was instrumented with 252 static orifices and 164 in situ dynamic pressure gases for studying the effects of control surface position and sinusoidal motion on steady and unsteady pressures. Data from the present test (this is the second in a series of tests on this model) were obtained in the Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel at Mach numbers of 0.60 and 0.78 and are presented in tabular form.

High aspect ratio free-standing Al-doped ZnO (AZO) nanopillars and nanotubes were fabricated using a combination of advanced reactive ion etching and atomic layer deposition (ALD) techniques. Prior to the pillar and tube fabrication, AZO layers were grown on flat silicon and glass substrates...... plasma frequency. During pillar fabrication, AZO conformally passivates the silicon template, which is characteristic of typical ALD growth conditions. The last step of fabrication is heavily dependent on the selective chemistry of the SF6 plasma. It was shown that silicon between AZO structures can...

NASA Lewis Research Center is a leader in the application of temperature- and pressuresensitive paints (TSP and PSP) in rotating environments. Tests were recently completed on several scale model, high-bypass-ratio turbofans in Lewis' 9- by 15-Foot Low-Speed Wind Tunnel. Two of the test objectives were to determine the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the fan designs. Using TSP and PSP, researchers successfully achieved fullfield aerodynamic loading profiles. The visualized loading profiles may help researchers identify factors contributing to the fans' performance and to the acoustic characteristics associated with the flow physics on the surface of the blades.

We report on the instantaneous detection of the ablation rate as a function of depth during ultrafast microdrilling of metal targets. The displacement of the ablation front has been measured with a sub-wavelength resolution using an all-optical sensor based on the laser diode self-mixing interferometry. The time dependence of the laser ablation process within the depth of aluminum and stainless steel targets has been investigated to study the evolution of the material removal rate in high aspect-ratio micromachined holes.

Full Text Available Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM is the most common form of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy that leads to heart failure. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs are under active investigation currently as a potential therapy for DCM. However, little information is available about the therapeutic potential of intravenous administration of MSCs for DCM. Moreover, how MSCs home to the myocardium in DCM is also unclear. DCM was induced by intraperitoneally administering Doxorubicin and MSCs or vehicles were infused through the internal jugular vein. Cardiac functions including the percentage of fractional shortening, left ventricular diastolic dimension, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and left ventricular maximum dp/dt were evaluated by echocardiographic and hemodynamic studies. Fibrosis was determined by Masson’s trichrome staining. The mRNA expression levels of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α, and monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (MCP-3 were determined using real time polymerase chain reactions and the protein expression level of MCP-1 was detected with Western blot. The MSCs expression of C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2, a MCP-1 receptor, was confirmed by Western blot and flow cytometry analysis. The chemotactic effects of MCP-1/CCR2 were checked by assessing the migration in vitro and in vivo. MSCs transplantation improved the cardiac function and decreased the myocardial fibrosis of mice with DCM. MCP-1 was up-regulated in dilated myocardial tissue both at the mRNA and protein level while SDF-1, MIP-1α and MCP-3 remain unchanged. CCR2 was present in MSCs. MCP-1 promoted MSCs migration in vitro while CCR2 inhibition decreased the migration of MCP-1 to the dilated heart. This study provides direct evidences that peripheral intravenous infusion of MSCs can support the functional recovery of DCM. In addition, novel insights into the myocardial homing factor of MSCs

Dyslipidemia has been reported as a risk factor for incident hypertension in a few prospective studies, however, no study has specifically assessed different lipid measures including the lipid ratios, that is, total cholesterol (TC)/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TGs)/HDL-C as predictors of hypertension among Middle Eastern women with high prevalences of dyslipidemia and hypertension. The study population consisted of 2831 non-hypertensive women, aged ≥ 20 years. We measured lipoproteins, and calculated non-HDL-C and the lipid ratios. The risk-factor-adjusted odds ratios for incident hypertension were calculated for every 1 standard deviation (s.d.) change in TC, log-transformed TG, HDL-C, non-HDL-C, TC/HDL-C and log-transformed TG/HDL-C using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Over a mean follow-up of 6.4 years, 397 women developed hypertension. An increase of 1 s.d. in TG, TC/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C increased the risk of incident hypertension by 16, 19 and 18%, respectively, and 1 s.d. increase in HDL-C decreased the risk of hypertension by 14% in the multivariable model (all P ≤ 0.05). In models excluding women with diabetes and central or general obesity, TG, TG/HDL-C and TC/HDL-C remained as independent predictors of incident hypertension. In conclusion, dyslipidemia, using serum TG and TG/HDL-C, in particular, may be useful in identification of women at risk of hypertension, even in those without diabetes and central or general obesity.

High low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (L/H) ratio is associated with progressions of coronary arteriosclerosis and chronic kidney disease. On the other hand, renal function markedly declined after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aims of the present study were (1) to identify what type of patients with AMI would have high L/H ratio at follow-up and (2) to evaluate whether decline in renal function after AMI had accelerated or not in patients with high L/H ratio. The 190 eligible AMI patients who underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and received atorvastatin (10 mg) were divided into one of two groups according to the L/H ratio at 6-month follow-up: L/H >2 group (n = 81) or L/H ≤2 group (n = 109). The characteristics on admission in the two groups were examined. Furthermore, changes in serum creatinine (sCr) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) during 1- and 6-month follow-up were compared between the two groups. L/H >2 group were significantly younger and had greater body mass index (BMI) and worse lipid profile on admission compared with L/H ≤2 group. Percentage increase in sCr and percentage decrease in eGFR during 1-month follow-up in L/H >2 group tended to be greater than in L/H ≤2 group, and those during 6-month follow-up were significantly greater (16.5 ± 2.77 vs. 9.79 ± 2.23 %, p = 0.03 and 11.8 ± 1.93 vs. 2.75 ± 3.85 %, p = 0.04, respectively). In AMI patients undergoing primary PCI, those who were young and had large BMI and poor lipid profile on admission were likely to have a high L/H ratio at follow-up despite statin therapy. In addition, the decline in renal function after AMI had significantly accelerated in patients with high L/H ratio.

High triglyceride (TG) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) impart risk for heart disease. This study examines the relationships of TG/HDL-C ratio to mortality from all causes, coronary heart disease (CHD), or cardiovascular disease (CVD). Survival analysis was done in 39,447 men grouped by TG/HDL-C ratio cut point of 3.5 and for metabolic syndrome. National Death Index International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) codes were used for CVD and CHD deaths occurring from 1970 to 2008. Incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) according to ratio was estimated in 22,215 men. Triglyceride/HDL-C ratio and cross-product of TG and fasting blood glucose (TyG index) were used in analysis. Men were followed up for 581,194 person-years. Triglyceride/HDL-C ratio predicted CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality after adjustment for established risk factors and non-HDL-C. Mortality rates were higher in individuals with a highratio than in those with a low ratio. Fifty-five percent of men had metabolic syndrome that was also predictive of CHD, CVD, and all-cause mortality. Annual incidence of DM was 2 times higher in men with high TG/HDL-C ratio than in those with a low ratio. Individuals with high TG/HDL-C ratio had a higher incidence of DM than those with a low ratio. The TyG index was not equally predictive of causes of mortality to TG/HDL-C, but both were equally predictive of diabetes incidence. Triglyceride/HDL-C ratio predicts CHD and CVD mortality as well as or better than do metabolic syndrome in men. Also, a highratio predisposes to DM. The TyG index does not predict CHD, CVD, or all-cause mortality equally well, but like TG/HDL-C ratio, it predicts DM incidence.

The three basic cell types in the migrating slug of Dictyostelium discoideum show differential chemotactic response to cyclic AMP (cAMP) and differential sensitivity to suppression of the chemotaxis by ammonia. The values of these parameters indicate a progressive maturation of chemotactic properties during the transdifferentiation of slug cell types. We present a model that explains the localization of the three cell types within the slug based on these chemotactic differences and on the maturation of their chemotactic properties.

An In0.53Ga0.47As/AlAs resonant tunneling diode (RTD) with a high doping emitter is designed and fabricated using air bridge technology.The RTD exhibits a high peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of more than 40 at room temperature,with a peak current density of 24 kA/cm2.The extraction of device parameters from DC and microwave measurements is presented together with an RTD equivalent circuit.The high PVCR RTD with small intrinsic capacitance is favorable for microwave/THz applications.

Flow physics near the viscous wall is intrinsically anisotropic in nature, namely, the gradient along the wall normal direction is much larger than that along the other two orthogonal directions parallel to the surface. Accordingly, high aspect ratio meshes are employed near the viscous wall to capture the physics and maintain low grid count. While such arrangement works fine for structured-grid based methods with dimensional splitting that handles derivatives in each direction separately, similar treatments often lead to numerical instability for unstructured-mesh based methods when triangular or tetrahedral meshes are used. The non-splitting treatment of near-wall gradients for high-aspect ratio triangular or tetrahedral elements results in an ill-conditioned linear system of equations that is closely related to the numerical instability. Altering the side lengths of the near wall tetrahedrons in the gradient calculations would make the system less unstable but more dissipative. This research presents recent progress in applying numerical dissipation control in the space-time conservation element solution element (CESE) method to reduce or alleviate the above-mentioned instability while maintaining reasonable solution accuracy.

Many real world combustion devices model fuel scalar mixing by assuming the self-similar argument established in atmospheric free jets. This allows simple prediction of the mean and rms fuel scalar fields to describe the mixing. This approach has been adopted in super critical liquid injections found in diesel engines where the liquid behaves as a dense fluid. The effect of pressure ratio (injection to ambient) when the ambient is greater than atmospheric pressure, upon the self-similar collapse has not been well characterized, particularly the effect upon mixing constants, jet spreading rates, and virtual origins. Changes in these self-similar parameters control the reproduction of the scalar mixing statistics. This experiment investigates the steady state mixing of high pressure ethylene jets in a pressurized pure nitrogen environment for various pressure ratios and jet orifice diameters. Quantitative laser Rayleigh scattering imaging was performed utilizing a calibration procedure to account for the pressure effects upon scattering interference within the high-pressure vessel.

Full Text Available Background. Because of the epidemic of metabolic syndrome (MS in Australian Aboriginals known for their higher cardiovascular mortality and shorter life expectancy, we analyzed the possible relationship of their MS risks with the current dietary custom. Methods. The subjects were 84 people aged 16–79 years. The health examination was conducted according to the basic protocol of WHO-CARDIAC (Cardiovascular Diseases and Alimentary Comparison Study. Results. The highest prevalence among MS risks was abdominal obesity (over 60%. After controlling for age and sex, the odds of obesity decreased significantly with high level of urinary magnesium/creatinine ratio (Mg/cre (OR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02–0.57; Pratio were revealed. Conclusions. The high prevalence of obesity in the Aboriginal people of this area may partly be due to the reduction of beneficial nutrients intake including Mg and taurine.

We study scale dependence of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum in a class of small, single-field models of inflation which lead to a high value of the tensor to scalar ratio. The inflaton potentials that we consider are degree 5 polynomials, for which we calculate the power spectrum numerically and extract the cosmological parameters: the scalar index $n_s$, the running of the scalar index $n_{run}$ and the tensor to scalar ratio $r$. We first demonstrate the precision of the numerical analysis by comparing results to a case with an exact analytic solution - power law inflation. We then scan the possible values of potential parameters for which the cosmological parameters are within the allowed range by observations. The 5 parameter class is able to reproduce all the allowed values of the $n_s$ and $n_{run}$ for values of $r$ that are as high as 0.001. We find that for non-vanishing $n_{run}$, the numerically extracted values of $n_s$ and $n_{run}$ deviate significantly from analytic projec...

Full Text Available Background. We aimed to evaluate a relationship between platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR with high density lipoprotein (HDL cholesterol levels in coronary artery disease (CAD patients. Methods. A total of 354 patients with angiographically confirmed coronary blockages were enrolled in the study. Hematological indices and lipid profiling data of all the patients were collected. Results. We have observed significant association between HDL and PLR (P=0.008 and NLR (P=0.009; however no significant relationship was obtained with HDL and isolated platelet (P=0.488, neutrophil (P=0.407, and lymphocyte (P=0.952 counts in CAD patients. The association was subjected to gender specific variation as in males PLR (P=0.024 and NLR (P=0.03 were highly elevated in low HDL patients, whereas in females the elevation could not reach the statistically significant level. The PLR (217.47 versus 190.3; P=0.01 and NLR (6.33 versus 5.10; P=0.01 were significantly higher among the patients with acute coronary syndrome. In young patients the PLR (P=0.007 and NLR (P=0.001 were inversely associated with HDL, whereas in older population only NLR (P=0.05 had showed a significant association. Conclusion. We conclude that PLR and NLR are significantly elevated in CAD patients having low HDL levels.

The current situation is that the development of high speed wind energy saturates gradually, therefore, it is highly necessary to develop low speed wind energy. This paper, based on a specific straight blade and by using Isight, a kind of multidiscipline optimization software, which integrates ICEM (Integrated Computer Engineering and Manufacturing) and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software, optimizes the blade stacking line (the centers of airfoil from blade root to tip) and acquires the optimization swept blade shape. It is found that power coefficient Cp of swept blade is 3.2% higher than that of straight blade at the tip speed ratio of 9.82, that the thrust of swept blade receives is obviously less than that of straight blade. Inflow angle of attack and steam line on the suction of the swept and straight blade are also made a comparison.

Fluorescence microscopic imaging in centimeter-deep tissue has been highly sought-after for many years because much interesting in vivo micro-information, such as microcirculation, tumor angiogenesis, and metastasis, may deeply locate in tissue. In this study, for the first time this goal has been achieved in 3-centimeter deep tissue with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and picomole sensitivity under radiation safety thresholds. These results are demonstrated not only in tissue-mimic phantoms but also in actual tissues, such as porcine muscle, ex vivo mouse liver, ex vivo spleen, and in vivo mouse tissue. These results are achieved based on three unique technologies: excellent near infrared ultrasound-switchable fluorescence (USF) contrast agents, a sensitive USF imaging system, and an effective correlation method. Multiplex USF fluorescence imaging is also achieved. It is useful to simultaneously image multiple targets and observe their interactions. This work opens the door for future studies of centimeter...

Monocyte to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) is generally understood to be a candidate marker of inflammation and oxidative stress. Therefore, we aimed to assess the association between MHR and aortic elastic properties in hypertensive patients. A total of 114 newly-diagnosed untreated patients with hypertension and 71 healthy subjects were enrolled. Aortic stiffness index, aortic strain and aortic distensibility were measured by using echocardiography. Patients with hypertension had a significantly higher MHR compared to the control group (p MHR with aortic stiffness index (r = 0.294, p MHR and high sensitivity C-reactive protein have a positive correlation (r = 0.30, p MHR was found to be an independent predictor of aortic distensibility and aortic stiffness index. In patients with newly-diagnosed untreated essential hypertension, higher MHR was significantly associated with impaired aortic elastic properties.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of preprocedural monocyte count-to-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) on development of in-stent restenosis in patients undergoing coronary bare-metal stent (BMS) implantation. Data from 705 patients who had undergone BMS implantation and additional control coronary angiography were analyzed. Patients were divided into three tertiles based on preprocedural MHR. Restenosis occurred in 59 patients (25%) in the lowest tertile, 84 (35%) in the middle tertile and 117 (50%) in the highest MHR tertile (p MHR and C-reactive protein levels emerged as independent predictors of in-stent restenosis. High preprocedural MHR is related to BMS restenosis.

The solid phase syntheses of the hydrophobic peptides dodecaalanine and chemotactic protein-10(42-55) were achieved using a ''solubilising tail'' strategy. Peptide constructs of the form H-hydrophobic peptide-glycolamide ester-(Gly-Arg)(4)-Gly-OH were synthesised by Boc SPPS. The peptide-constructs

We investigated the effects of two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) isolated from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans on neutrophil activity. Stimulation of mouse neutrophils with the two AMPs elicited chemotactic migration of the cells in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. The two AMPs also stimulated activation of ERK and Akt, which contribute to chemotactic migration of neutrophils. We found that AMP-stimulated neutrophil chemotaxis was blocked by a formyl peptide receptor (FPR) 1 antagonist (cyclosporin H); moreover the two AMPs stimulated the chemotactic migration of FPR1-expressing RBL-2H3 cells but not of vector-expressing RBL-2H3 cells. We also found that the two AMPs stimulate neutrophil migration in vivo, and that this effect is blocked in FPR1-deficient mice. Taken together, our results suggest that the two AMPs stimulate neutrophils, leading to chemotactic migration through FPR1, and the two AMPs will be useful for the study of FPR1 signaling and neutrophil activation. [BMB Reports 2016; 49(9): 520-525].

The solid phase syntheses of the hydrophobic peptides dodecaalanine and chemotactic protein-10(42-55) were achieved using a ''solubilising tail'' strategy. Peptide constructs of the form H-hydrophobic peptide-glycolamide ester-(Gly-Arg)(4)-Gly-OH were synthesised by Boc SPPS. The peptide-constructs

MoS2 and other atomic-level thick layered materials have been shown to have a high potential for outperforming Si transistors at the scaling limit. In this work, we demonstrate a MoS2 transistor with a low voltage and high ON/OFF ratio. A record small equivalent oxide thickness of ∼1.1 nm has been obtained by using ultra high-k gate dielectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3. The low threshold voltage (swing of 85.9 mV dec(-1), the high ON/OFF ratio of ∼10(8) and the negligible hysteresis ensure a high performance of the MoS2 transistor operating at 1 V. The extracted field-effect mobility of 1-10 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) suggests a high crystalline quality of the CVD-grown MoS2 flakes. The combination of the two-dimensional layered semiconductor and the ultra high-k dielectric may enable the development of low-power electronic applications.

We report the first application of a microfluidic device to observe chemotactic migration in multicellular spheroids. A microfluidic device was designed comprising a central microchamber and two lateral channels through which reagents can be introduced. Multicellular spheroids were embedded in collagen and introduced to the microchamber. A gradient of fetal bovine serum (FBS) was established across the central chamber by addition of growth media containing serum into one of the lateral channels. We observe that spheroids of oral squamous carcinoma cells OSC–19 invade collectively in the direction of the gradient of FBS. This invasion is more directional and aggressive than that observed for individual cells in the same experimental setup. In contrast to spheroids of OSC–19, U87-MG multicellular spheroids migrate as individual cells. A study of the exposure of spheroids to the chemoattractant shows that the rate of diffusion into the spheroid is slow and thus, the chemoattractant wave engulfs the spheroid before diffusing through it. PMID:26444904

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) localize to solid tumors. Defining the signaling mechanisms that regulate this process is important to understanding the role of MSCs in tumor growth. Using a combination of chromatography and electrospray tandem mass spectrometry we have identified novel soluble signaling molecules that induce MSC chemotaxis present in conditioned medium of the breast carcinoma cell line MDA-MB231. Previous work has employed survey strategies using ELISA assay to identify known chemokines that promote MSC chemotaxis. While these studies provide valuable insights into the intercellular signals that impact MSC behavior, many less well-described, but potentially important soluble signaling molecules could be overlooked using these methods. Through the less directed method of column chromatography we have identified novel candidate MSC chemotactic peptides. Two proteins, cyclophilin B and hepatoma-derived growth factor were then further characterized and shown to promote MSC chemotaxis. PMID:18722367

Neutrophils encounter and 'prioritize' many chemoattractants in their pursuit of bacteria. Here we tested the possibility that the phosphatase PTEN is responsible for the prioritization of chemoattractants. Neutrophils induced chemotaxis by two separate pathways, the phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI(3)K) phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) pathway, and the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, with the p38 pathway dominating over the PI(3)K pathway. Pten(-/-) neutrophils could not prioritize chemoattractants and were 'distracted' by chemokines when moving toward bacterial chemoattractants. In opposing gradients, PTEN became distributed throughout the cell circumference, which inhibited all PI(3)K activity, thus permitting 'preferential' migration toward bacterial products via phospholipase A(2) and p38. Such prioritization was defective in Pten(-/-) neutrophils, which resulted in defective bacterial clearance in vivo. Our data identify a PTEN-dependent mechanism in neutrophils to prioritize, 'triage' and integrate responses to multiple chemotactic cues.

We investigate the effect and the impact of predator-prey interactions, diffusivity and chemotaxis on the ability of survival of multiple consumer levels in a predator-prey microbial food chain. We aim at answering the question of how many consumer levels can survive from a dynamical system point of view. To solve this standing issue on food-chain length, first we construct a chemotactic food chain model. A priori bounds of the steady state populations are obtained. Then under certain sufficient conditions combining the effect of conversion efficiency, diffusivity and chemotaxis parameters, we derive the co-survival of all consumer levels, thus obtaining the food chain length of our model. Numerical simulations not only confirm our theoretical results, but also demonstrate the impact of conversion efficiency, diffusivity and chemotaxis behavior on the survival and stability of various consumer levels.

Chemical models predict that the deuterated fraction (the column density ratio between a molecule containing D and its counterpart containing H) of N2H+, Dfrac(N2H+), high in massive pre-protostellar cores, is expected to rapidly drop by an order of magnitude after the protostar birth, while that of HNC, Dfrac(HNC), remains constant for much longer. We tested these predictions by deriving Dfrac(HNC) in 22 high-mass star-forming cores divided in three different evolutionary stages, from high-mass starless core candidates (HMSCs, eight) to high-mass protostellar objects (HMPOs, seven) to ultracompact H II regions (UCHIIs, seven). For all of them, Dfrac(N2H+) was already determined through IRAM 30 m Telescope observations, which confirmed the theoretical rapid decrease of Dfrac(N2H+) after protostar birth. Therefore, our comparative study is not affected by biases introduced by the source selection. We have found average Dfrac(HNC) of 0.012, 0.009 and 0.008 in HMSCs, HMPOs and UCHIIs, respectively, with no statistically significant differences among the three evolutionary groups. These findings confirm the predictions of the chemical models, and indicate that large values of Dfrac(N2H+) are more suitable than large values of Dfrac(HNC) to identify cores on the verge of forming high-mass stars, likewise what was found in the low-mass regime.

The bioremediation of polluted groundwater and toxic waste sites requires that bacteria come into close physical contact with pollutants. This can be accomplished by chemotaxis. Five motile strains of bacteria that use five different pathways to degrade toluene were tested for their ability to detect and swim towards this pollutant. Three of the five strains (Pseudomonas putida F1, Ralstonia pickettii PKO1, and Burkholderia cepacia G4) were attracted to toluene. In each case, the response was dependent on induction by growth with toluene. Pseudomonas mendocina KR1 and P. putida PaW15 did not show a convincing response. The chemotactic responses of P. putida F1 to a variety of toxic aromatic hydrocarbons and chlorinated aliphatic compounds were examined. Compounds that are growth substrates for P. putida F1, including benzene and ethylbenzene, were chemoattractants. P. putida F1 was also attracted to trichloroethylene (TCE), which is not a growth substrate but is dechlorinated and detoxified by P. putida F1. Mutant strains of P. putida F1 that do not oxidize toluene were attracted to toluene, indicating that toluene itself and not a metabolite was the compound detected. The two-component response regulator pair TodS and TodT, which control expression of the toluene degradation genes in P. putida F1, were required for the response. This demonstration that soil bacteria can sense and swim towards the toxic compounds toluene, benzene, TCE, and related chemicals suggests that the introduction of chemotactic bacteria into selected polluted sites may accelerate bioremediation processes. PMID:10966434

The chemotactic role of eicosanoids in the pathogenesis of Pasteurella haemolytica infection was studied, using a tissue chamber infection model and pharmacological inhibitors of eicosanoid synthesis. Tissue chambers were implanted subcutaneously in 12 calves allotted to three treatment groups of equal size. At 45 days after implantation, calves received saline, dexamethasone, or phenylbutazone treatments, and tissue chambers in all animals were then inoculated with P. haemolytica. Chamber fluid samples were collected before inoculation and at 2, 6, 18, 40, and 90 h after inoculation. Bacterial counts, total leukocyte counts, pH and albumin concentrations in chamber fluids were determined using standard bacteriological and clinical pathological methods. Concentrations of eicosanoids and activity of interleukin-1 (IL-1) were measured by radioimmunoassay and a helper T cell bioassay, respectively. Concentrations of leukotriene B4 (LTB4), thromboxane B2 (TXB2), 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (PGF1 alpha) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increased markedly after inoculation. An inhibitory effect of dexamethasone on both LTB4 production and neutrophil influx, together with the temporal relationship between these two events, suggested that LTB4 served as a chemo-attractant. Activity-time profiles for IL-1 in chamber fluids were similar to those of the eicosanoids. Phenylbutazone and dexamethasone reduced the severity of the inflammatory responses as measured by lower concentrations of albumin and higher pH in treated versus control chamber fluids. The results of this study suggest that eicosanoid inflammatory mediators play an important chemotactic role in the pathogenesis of P. haemolytica infection.

Employing high-contact-ratio (HCR) gear is an effective method of decreasing the load on a single tooth, as well as reducing vibration and noise. While the spindlier tooth leads to greater relative sliding, having more teeth participate in contact at the same time makes the HCR gear more sensitive to the surface quality. Available literature regarding HCR gear primarily investigates the geometrical optimization, load distribution, or efficiency calculation. Limited work has been conducted on the effect of rough surfaces on the dynamic performance of HCR gear. For this reason, a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) model is presented mathematically to characterize the static transmission error based on fractal theory, investigate the relative sliding friction using an EHL-based friction coefficient formula, and detail the time-varying friction coefficient suitable for HCR gear. Based on numerical results, the surface roughness has little influence on system response in terms of the dynamic transmission error but has a large effect on the motion in off-line-of-action (OLOA) direction and friction force. The impact of shaft-bearing stiffness and damping ratio is also explored with results revealing that a greater shaft-bearing stiffness is beneficial in obtaining a more stable motion in OLOA direction, and a larger damping ratio results in a smaller effective friction force. The theory presented in this report outlines a new method of analyzing the dynamics of HCR gear in respect of introducing surface roughness into MDOF model directly, as well as establishing an indirect relationship between dynamic responses and surface roughness. This method is expected to guide surface roughness design and manufacturing in the future.

The human macrophage inflammatory proteins-1 alpha and -beta (MIP-1 alpha and -beta), which are also known as LD78 and ACT2, respectively, are distinct but highly related members of the chemoattractant cytokine (chemokine) family. rMIP-1 alpha and -beta labeled with 125I specifically bind to human peripheral blood monocytes, the monocytic cell line THP-1, peripheral blood T cells, and the YT cell line. Steady state binding experiments revealed approximately 3000 high affinity binding sites/cell for MIP-1 alpha on human monocytes and on THP-1 cells, with Kd values of 383 pM and 450 pM, respectively. Human MIP-1 alpha and -beta had nearly identical affinities for the binding sites and each competed equally well for binding. Human monocyte chemotactic and activating factor (MCAF), a member of the same chemokine family, consistently displaced about 25% of human MIP-1 alpha and -beta binding on monocytes but not on YT cells, which did not bind MCAF. On the other hand, human rMIP-1 alpha and -beta partially inhibited binding of radiolabeled MCAF to monocytes. Both MIP-1 alpha and -beta were chemotactic for human monocytes. Preincubation of monocytes with human rMIP-1 alpha or -beta markedly reduced cell migration towards the other cytokine, whereas preincubation with human rMCAF only partially desensitized the monocyte chemotaxis response to human rMIP-1 alpha or -beta. These data suggest the existence of three subtypes of receptors, i.e., one unique receptor shared by MIP-1 alpha and -beta, a second unique receptor for MCAF, and a third species that recognizes both MCAF and MIP-1 peptides.

Chemical models predict that the deuterated fraction (the column density ratio between a molecule containing D and its counterpart containing H) of N2H+, Dfrac(N2H+), is high in massive pre-protostellar cores and rapidly drops of an order of magnitude after the protostar birth, while that of HNC, Dfrac(HNC), remains constant for much longer. We tested these predictions by deriving Dfrac(HNC) in 22 high-mass star forming cores divided in three different evolutionary stages, from high-mass starless core candidates (HMSCs, 8) to high-mass protostellar objects (HMPOs, 7) to Ultracompact HII regions (UCHIIs, 7). For all of them, Dfrac (N2H+) was already determined through IRAM-30m Telescope observations, which confirmed the theoretical rapid decrease of Dfrac(N2H+) after protostar birth (Fontani et al. 2011). Therefore our comparative study is not affected by biases introduced by the source selection. We have found average Dfrac(HNC) of 0.012, 0.009 and 0.008 in HMSCs, HMPOs and UCHIIs, respectively, with no stati...

Hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO nanowires (NWs) with tailored dimensions, notably high aspect ratios (AR) and small diameters, is a major concern for a wide range of applications and still represents a challenging and recurring issue. In this work, an additive-free and reproducible hydrothermal procedure has been developed to grow ultra-thin and high AR ZnO NWs on sol-gel deposited ZnO seed layers. Controlling the substrate temperature and using a low reagent concentration (1 mM) has been found to be essential for obtaining such NWs. We show that the NW diameter remains constant at about 20-25 nm with growth time contrary to the NW length that can be selectively increased leading to NWs with ARs up to 400. On the basis of investigated experimental conditions along with thermodynamic and kinetic considerations, a ZnO NW growth mechanism has been developed which involves the formation and growth of nuclei followed by NW growth when the nuclei reach a critical size of about 20-25 nm. The low reagent concentration inhibits NW lateral growth leading to ultra-thin and high AR NWs. These NWs have been assembled into electrically conductive ZnO nanowire networks, which opens attractive perspectives toward the development of highly sensitive low-cost gas- or bio-sensors.

Compared to pure small cell lung cancer (SCLC), combined small cell lung cancer (C-SCLC) has its own characteristics. High neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) have been shown to be related to poor prognosis in several types of tumors. The aim of this study was to explore the prognosis value of NLR and PLR in patients with C-SCLC. A total of 112 patients diagnosed with C-SCLC between January 2000 and March 2009 were enrolled in the study. The clinicopathological parameters, laboratory analyses, and survival time were collected and analyzed. The correlation between NLR, PLR, and clinicopathological characters was analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the prognostic significance of these parameters for C-SCLC. The pretreatment NLR was elevated in 37.5 % patients (NLR ≥ 4.15; n = 42; H-NLR). NLR was significantly related to disease stage (p = 0.033) and tumor recurrence (p = 0.014). The median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly worse in the H-NLR group (OS: 22.0 months vs 11.7 months, p = 0.001; PFS: 11.1 vs 6.0 months, p recurrence and predicts a poor long-term prognosis for C-SCLC, which should be considered in defining the prognosis with other well-known prognosticators in C-SCLC patients.

A previous study of correlations between element abundance ratios, [X/Fe], and ages of solar twin stars is extended to include Sc, Mn, Cu, and Ba. HARPS spectra with S/N > 600 are used to derive very precise (+/- 0.01 dex) differential abundances, and stellar ages with internal errors less than 1 Gyr are obtained by interpolation in the logg - Teff diagram between isochrones calculated with the Aarhus Stellar Evolution Code. For stars younger than 6 Gyr, [X/Fe] is tightly correlated with stellar age for all elements. For ages between 6 and 9 Gyr, the [X/Fe] - age correlations break down and the stars split up into two groups having respectively high and low [X/Fe] for the odd-Z elements. It is concluded that while stars in the solar neighborhood younger than about 6 Gyr were formed from interstellar gas with a smooth chemical evolution, older stars have originated from regions enriched by supernovae with different neutron excesses. Furthermore, the correlations between abundance ratios and stellar age suggest...

Twenty-seven patients with esotropia and convergence excess (a high accommodative convergence/accommodation [AC/A] ratio) managed nonsurgically underwent a final standardized evaluation of their sensory and motor status after a follow-up period of at least 8 years. All had a deviation with distance fixation of less than 10 prism dioptres (PD) of esotropia with full optical correction both initially and throughout the follow-up period. The average spherical-equivalent refractive error was +2.3 D. The AC/A ratio had tended to decrease with age, and most patients had fusion, although only a small proportion had central fusion and stereopsis. Approximately half of the patients had been treated with bifocals, but their sensory outcome did not differ from that of the other patients. Miotics had not been used for more than a few months in any patient, as they were ineffective in reducing the deviation with near fixation to less than 10 PD of esotropia. A study, possibly a multicentre one, involving larger numbers of patients should be designed to find out whether bifocal therapy offers an advantage in the final sensory outcome of such patients.

Multilayer insulation (MLI) is a recently-discovered type of debris originating from delamination of aging spacecraft; it is mostly detected near the geosynchronous orbit (GEO). Observation data indicates that these objects are characterised by high reflectivity, high area-to-mass ratio (HAMR), fast rotation, high sensitivity to perturbations (especially solar radiation pressure) and change of area-to-mass ratio (AMR) over time. As a result, traditional models (e.g. cannonball) are unsuitable to represent and predict this debris' orbital evolution. Previous work by the authors effectively modelled the flexible debris by means of multibody dynamics to improve the prediction accuracy. The orbit evolution with the flexible model resulted significantly different from using the rigid model. This paper aims to present a methodology to determine the dynamic properties of thin membranes with the purpose to validate the deformation characteristics of the flexible model. A high-vacuum chamber (10-4 mbar) to significantly decrease air friction, inside which a thin membrane is hinged at one end but free at the other provides the experimental setup. A free motion test is used to determine the damping characteristics and natural frequency of the thin membrane via logarithmic decrement and frequency response. The membrane can swing freely in the chamber and the motion is tracked by a static, optical camera, and a Kalman filter technique is implemented in the tracking algorithm to reduce noise and increase the tracking accuracy of the oscillating motion. Then, the effect of solar radiation pressure on the thin membrane is investigated: a high power spotlight (500-2000 W) is used to illuminate the sample and any displacement of the membrane is measured by means of a high-resolution laser sensor. Analytic methods from the natural frequency response and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) including multibody simulations of both experimental setups are used for the validation of the

The manufacture of negative Poisson's ratio polymeric foams was based on a thermal transformation technique to convert the convex cell shape of conventional foams to a concave or re-entrant shape through triaxial compression and heating. Poisson's ratio measurements were performed with a laser-based setup for non-transparent materials with high accuracy. Contrary to the predictions of the theory of elasticity, we observed cell size influences on Poisson's ratio of conventional and transformed foams. The theoretical study of the contact problem involving materials with negative Poisson's ratios revealed a further reduction on contact pressure between the contacting two bodies in comparison with materials with positive Poisson's ratio. The classical Hertz contact theory and 3D elasticity solution in an asymptotic form for finite-thickness, layered media indented by an elastic spherical were used. As for advanced composite materials, theoretically, significant amplification was found in composites' mechanical, thermal, electrical or coupled field properties due to negative stiffness inclusions. Experimentally, we fabricated high damping and high stiffness composite materials, SiC-InSn, to obtain a realization of the prediction from composite theory. With the idea of using negative stiffness components, we manufactured Sn, Zn or Al composites with 1% VO2 particles by volume, where the transforming particles, VO 2, were used as a negative stiffness source, and observed anomalies both in overall stiffness and tan delta. Broadband viscoelastic spectroscopy (BVS) was used to measure mechanical properties. The transformation of the eutectoid ZnAl was studied with resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS), and about a 30% increase in shear modulus and tan delta, respectively, were observed. To investigate the stability of systems with negative stiffness elements, several discrete viscoelastic models were analyzed. With the Lyapunov indirect stability theorem, we found that

Full Text Available Femtosecond laser direct writing is unique in allowing for fabrication of 3D micro- and nanofluidic structures, thereby enabling rapid and efficient manipulation of fluidic dynamics in 3D space to realize innovative functionalities. Here, I discuss the challenges in producing fully functional and highly integrated 3D micro- and nanofluidic systems with potential applications ranging from chemical and biological analyses to investigations of nanofluidic behaviors. In particular, I review the achievements we have made in the past decade, which have led to 3D microchannels with controllable cross-sectional profiles and large aspect ratios, 3D nanofluidic channels with widths of several tens of nanometers, and smooth inner walls with roughness on the order of ~1 nm. Integration of the microfluidics with other functional microcomponents including microoptics and microelectrodes will also be discussed, followed by conclusions and the future perspective.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has devastating consequences for the poultry industry of affected countries. Control of HPAI has been impaired by the role of wildlife species that act as disease reservoirs and as a potential source of infection for domestic populations. The reproductive ratio (R₀) of HPAI was quantified in nine clusters of outbreaks detected in wild birds in Europe (2005-2008) for which population data were not available. The median value of R₀ was similar (1·1-3·4) for the nine clusters and it was about tenfold smaller than the value estimated for poultry in The Netherlands in 2003. Results presented here will be useful to parameterize models for spread of HPAI in wild birds and to design effective prevention programmes for the European poultry sector. The method is suitable to estimate R₀ in the absence of population data, which is a condition typically observed for many wildlife and certain domestic species and systems.

We present the results of our investigation of the geometrical and physical parameters of the W UMa-type binary system NSVS 2607629 based on CCD BVRc light curves and their analysis with the Wilson-Devinney code. New times of minima and light elements have been determined. We find that, as seen in eccentric systems, secondary minima do not occur at phase 0.5. According to our solution, the system is found to be a high mass-ratio W-type W UMa system. Combining our photometric solution with the emprical relation obtained for W UMa type systems by Dimitrov and Kjurkchieva (2015) we derive the masses and radii of the components of this eclipsing system as M1 = 0.44M⊙ , M2 = 0.73M⊙ , R1 = 0.57R⊙ and R2 = 0.71R⊙ . The evolutionary state of the system is also discussed.

Snowflake-like ZnO structures originating from self-assembled nanowires were prepared by a low-temperature aqueous solution method. The as-grown hierarchical ZnO structures were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The results showed that the snowflake-like ZnO structures were composed of high-aspect-ratio nanowires. Furthermore, gas-sensing properties to various testing gases of 10 and 50 ppm were measured, which confirms that the ZnO structures were of good selectivity and response to acetone and could serve for acetone sensor to detect low-concentration acetone.

Experiments were carried out to investigate the liquid flow distribution at high gas/liquid ratios in a cold model monolith bed of a 0.048 m diameter with 62 cells per cm2.Three types of distributor for the liquid distribu-tion were used to evaluate their distribution performance.Local liquid saturation in individual channels was meas-ured using 16 single-point optical fiber probes mounted inside the channels.The results indicate that 1） The optical fiber probe technique can measure phase distribution in the monolith bed;2） Liquid saturation distribution along the radial direction of the monolith bed is not uniform and the extent of non-uniformity depends on the distributor de-sign and phase velocities;and 3） The tube array distributor provides superior liquid distribution performance over the showerhead and nozzle distributors.

Full Text Available In this work, we present the electrochemical deposition of manganese dioxide (MnO2 thin films on carbon-coated TiN/Si micro-pillars. The carbon buffer layer, grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD, is used as a protective coating for the underlying TiN current collector from oxidation, during the film deposition, while improving the electrical conductivity of the stack. A conformal electrolytic MnO2 (EMD coating is successfully achieved on high aspect ratio C/TiN/Si pillar arrays by tailoring the deposition process. Lithiation/Delithiation cycling tests have been performed. Reversible insertion and extraction of Li+ through EMD structure are observed. The fabricated stack is thus considered as a good candidate not only for 3D micorbatteries but also for other energy storage applications.

Medial rectus (MR) recession with pulley posterior fixation (PF) can be used to treatesotropia (ET) with a high accommodative convergence to accommodation (AC/A) ratio as effectively in the short term as MR recession with scleral PF. This study provides a novel examination of the long-term results of MR recession with pulley PF (PPF). In 21 children we performed bilateral MR recession and pulley PF for ET greater at near than distance (high AC/A). Mean follow-up was 3.5 ± 2.5 (standard deviation [SD]) years. Mean age at presentation was 2.7 ± 1.8 and at surgery 4.3 ± 1.6 years. Fourteen (67%) children had amblyopia. Distance and near pre-operative ET averaged 19.6Δ ± 10.5Δ and 36.9Δ ±18.9Δ, respectively. Mean near-distance (N-D) disparity was 16.4Δ ± 12.3Δ. The MR recession averaged 4.4 ± 0.9 mm. Early mean postoperative ET was 1.3 ± 3.3Δ at distance and 2.8Δ ± 5.2Δ at near. Mean late postoperative ET was 0.1Δ ± 5.8Δ and 1.0Δ ± 6.2Δ at distance and near, respectively. At the final postoperative examination, mean N-D disparity was reduced to 0.9Δ ± 3.6Δ. MR recession with PPF has a high long-term effectiveness, even in patients with amblyopia and autism. Since no posterior scleral suturing is required, it minimizes the perforation risk associated with scleral PF. MR recession with PPF is a safe and highly effective long-term treatment for ET with high AC/A ratio. Long-term results may surpass those of alternate procedures.

Lattice Boltzmann method was used to numerically investigate the motion and orientation distribution of cylindrical and cubic particles in pipe flow with high concentration and high particle to pipe size ratio. The transient impulse model of 3D collisions between particles and between particle and wall is proposed. The numerical results are qualitatively in agreement with and quantitatively comparable to the experiment data. The results show that the increases of both the cylindrical particle to pipe size ratio and the particle aspect ratio decrease the rotation about all axes. All rotations of cubic particles decrease with increasing the particle concentration. The cubic particles, rotating more drastically in the flow with large Reynolds number, rotate faster than the cylindrical particles with the same size. The cylindrical particles align with the flow direction more obviously with decreasing Reynolds numbers. However, the orientations of cubic particles are spread all over the range with no significant difference in magnitude, and the Reynolds numbers have no obvious effect on the orientations of cubic particles.

The Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz (MALT90) survey has detected high-mass star-forming clumps with anomalous N$_2$H$^+$/HCO$^+$(1-0) integrated intensity ratios that are either unusually high ("N$_2$H$^+$ rich") or unusually low ("N$_2$H$^+$ poor"). With 3 mm observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), we imaged two N$_2$H$^+$ rich clumps, G333.234-00.061 and G345.144-00.216, and two N$_2$H$^+$ poor clumps, G351.409+00.567 and G353.229+00.672. In these clumps, the N$_2$H$^+$ rich anomalies arise from extreme self-absorption of the HCO$^+$ line. G333.234-00.061 contains two of the most massive protostellar cores known with diameters of less than 0.1 pc, separated by a projected distance of only 0.12 pc. Unexpectedly, the higher mass core appears to be at an earlier evolutionary stage than the lower mass core, which may suggest that two different epochs of high-mass star formation can occur in close proximity. Through careful analysis of the ATCA observations and MALT90 clumps (incl...

Three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs) are an attractive replacement for conventional 2D ICs as high-performance, low-power-consumption, and small-footprint microelectronic devices. However, one of the major remaining challenges is the manufacture of high-aspect-ratio through-silicon vias (TSVs), which is a crucial technology for the assembly of 3D Si ICs. Here, we present the fabrication of high-quality TSVs using a femtosecond (fs) 1.5-μm Bessel beam. To eliminate the severe ablation caused by the sidelobes of a conventional Bessel beam, a fs Bessel beam is tailored using a specially designed binary phase plate. We demonstrate that the tailored fs Bessel beam can be used to fabricate a 2D array of approximately ∅10-μm TSVs on a 100-μm-thick Si substrate without any sidelobe damage, suggesting potential application in the 3D assembly of 3D Si ICs.

Three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs) are an attractive replacement for conventional 2D ICs as high-performance, low-power-consumption, and small-footprint microelectronic devices. However, one of the major remaining challenges is the manufacture of high-aspect-ratio through-silicon vias (TSVs), which is a crucial technology for the assembly of 3D Si ICs. Here, we present the fabrication of high-quality TSVs using a femtosecond (fs) 1.5-μm Bessel beam. To eliminate the severe ablation caused by the sidelobes of a conventional Bessel beam, a fs Bessel beam is tailored using a specially designed binary phase plate. We demonstrate that the tailored fs Bessel beam can be used to fabricate a 2D array of approximately ∅10-μm TSVs on a 100-μm-thick Si substrate without any sidelobe damage, suggesting potential application in the 3D assembly of 3D Si ICs. PMID:28098250

Full Text Available Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP with different molecular weights was used as capping agent to synthesize silver nanowires through a polyol process. The results indicated that the yields and aspect ratios of silver nanowires were controlled by the chain length of PVP and increased with increasing the molecular weight (MW of PVP. When the long-chain PVP-K90 (MW = 800,000 was used, the product was uniform in size and was dominated by nanowires with high aspect ratios. The growth mechanism of the nanowires was studied. It is proposed that the chemical adsorption of Ag+ on the PVP chains at the initial stage promotes the growth of Ag nanowires.

Aims: A previous study of correlations between element abundances and ages of solar twin stars in the solar neighborhood is extended to include Sc, Mn, Cu, and Ba to obtain new information on the nucleosynthetic history of these elements. Methods: HARPS spectra with S/N ≳ 600 are used to derive very precise (σ ~ 0.01 dex) differential abundances of Sc, Mn, Cu, and Ba for 21 solar twins and the Sun. The analysis is based on MARCS model atmospheres with parameters determined from the excitation and ionization balance of Fe lines. Stellar ages with internal errors less than 1 Gyr are obtained by interpolation in the log g - Teff diagram between isochrones based on the Aarhus Stellar Evolution Code. Results: For stars younger than 6 Gyr, [Sc/Fe], [Mn/Fe], [Cu/Fe], and [Ba/Fe] are tightly correlated with stellar age, which is also the case for the other elements previously studied; linear relations between [X/Fe] and age have χ^2red ˜ 1, and for most stars the residuals do not depend on elemental condensation temperature. For ages between 6 and 9 Gyr, the [X/Fe] - age correlations break down and the stars split up into two groups having respectively high and low [X/Fe] for the odd-Z elements Na, Al, Sc, and Cu. Conclusions: While stars in the solar neighborhood younger than ~ 6 Gyr were formed from interstellar gas with a smooth chemical evolution, older stars seem to have originated from regions enriched by supernovae with different neutron excesses. Correlations between abundance ratios and stellar age suggest that: (i) Sc is made in Type II supernovae along with the α-capture elements; (ii) the Type II to Ia yield ratio is about the same for Mn and Fe; (iii) Cu is mainly made by the weak s-process in massive stars; (iv) the Ba/Y yield ratio for asymptotic giant branch stars increases with decreasing stellar mass; (v) [Y/Mg] and [Y/Al] can be used as chemical clocks when determining ages of solar metallicity stars. Based on data products from observations made